The Girl At The Library
by momoxtoshiro
Summary: For a book-loving girl like Blake, the new library was a safe haven. Things only get better, if not a little more complicated, when she meets a charming young girl who works there.
1. A Rocky Start

**I've been needing to do some more Ladybug recently! I hope to take this one at least a few chapters in. I call this Library AU!**

 **A/N: Normal life AU, there _are_ Faunus, but no Grimm/huntsmen/huntresses. It starts off as a bit of a flashback, then gets to present time.**

 **A patron request for Aust Sakura Kyzor. (You can support me on as Kiria Alice to make requests!)**

 **And I'd also like to say Happy Birthday to Dani (booksandweapons) with a little bit of Ladybug here!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.**

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The Girl At The Library

Chapter 1. A Rocky Start

Of all the places in the town of Vale, there were many bustling, high-energy areas.

Locations like the park, the school buildings, and gyms were always rather loud places where the air was filled with sounds of laughter, chatting, and shouting.

As you can imagine, none of these places were very ideal for a Faunus like Blake to read her books.

She would've done so at home and kept to her own room, but there was always some kind of distraction. If her parents didn't have loud-speaking friends over, then her father would be watching television with the volume up so high that Blake couldn't help but hear it from her own room.

She'd asked him many times to turn it down, but unlike most other Faunus, her father seemed to have poor hearing, so everything needed to be louder for him.

Her mother would smile kindly and suggest she read outside instead, but there were even more distractions there. Squealing children were always running down the street or riding bikes, or there would be a pair of tussling squirrels racing about the yard.

It had taken Blake many weeks to finally find a place of solace.

But she'd found it eventually, thanks to an announcement flier that had been stapled to the street post outside her house.

The town had decided to build a public library for its aspiring students, one with its own building and not connected to any specific school.

To see something like that was nothing short of a miracle for Blake.

She was there on the library's opening day to admire the modernized, two-story building. It was made of zig-zagging red-brown bricks and strong white window panes. The cement steps leading up to the front entrance were smooth and easy to travel.

On the little glass window of the doors was a small plaque with golden letters:

 _Welcome to the Vale Public Library._

Beneath that was a decorative sign that hung on the inside to face its customers.

It read: _Please be quiet. Readers inside._

For Blake, it had been love at first sight.

Taking a deep breath, she opened the doors and slipped inside.

Quiet.

It was wonderfully quiet inside.

She almost jumped for joy.

The plush carpets were a homely reddish shade that spread to a large interior. The walls gave off an old-fashioned kind of vibe, gray and white stone almost like in an old cabin. There was an enclosed fireplace in the center of the room, though it wasn't in use right now.

Near the doors if you veered off to one side, there was a very small cafe area where three baristas served drinks - one a dog Faunus, one a rabbit, and one human. Patrons were allowed to sit and drink there or in the library itself.

Off to Blake's right was an information desk where a Faunus woman with deer-like ears gave her a kind smile.

And to the left was paradise.

Rows upon rows of books - aisles of them - alphabetized and organized by the dates they were written. There was every kind of book imaginable: magazines, encyclopedias, thesauruses, atlases, dictionaries, geographical tomes. And of course the classic novels, more modern bestsellers, children's books, poetry collections...

Just about everything necessary to win the young Blake's heart.

And since the first day she'd walked into that library, she hasn't missed a day.

* * *

It had been three years since the library had been constructed.

Blake had been there for every anniversary, every close-knit celebration where the townspeople had donated little homemade treats to give out for free at the entrance.

It was a second home to her, her place of escape whenever her real home got a bit too loud.

Every day after school, this was her prioritized stop. If she needed to skip her daily trip to the convenience store to pick up a snack just to sit in the library a moment longer to finish her current book, then so be it.

But even now in the summer months, she still came here every day.

While most eighteen-year-olds found it pointless to get out of bed in July unless they had some kind of vacation or compelling event to attend, Blake's daily motivation to get up was getting to the library.

Either she would take a book from home and read it there, or she'd check one out and then sit in one of the cushioned chairs or couches to indulge herself.

Her favorite reading spot was a small love seat located beneath the staircase that led up to the second floor. The stairs were carpeted, so there was hardly any noise at all whenever someone went up or down. Blake's keen ears could still pick up on the soft thudding of the footsteps, but over the years she'd learned to ignore it.

The muffled sounds were a small price to pay for this little slice of heaven.

It was separate from the rest of the tables and couches were most patrons did their work and reading. And it wasn't anywhere near the computer section, which was upstairs.

Thankfully, she didn't have to listen to the sounds of much-too-loud dub-stepped music blasting through headphones or the insistent clicking of the printer. Her little spot was shielded by the staircase to give it a secluded – though not isolated – feeling.

There was a window behind her a few feet to her left to provide some light for whatever she was reading, and for cloudy days, there was a lamp to her right. A small table sat on her right side where she would often put her next-in-line books, or a warm cup of tea from the cafe.

In the colder months, she was close enough to the fireplace to feel the benefits of the flames, and in warmer months, she was right beside one of the air conditioning vents.

It truly was a little slice of heaven.

Today, she had her nose buried in a collection of classic fairytales. It contained several different versions of the same stories, all told by different authors, and she was intrigued at how each one was drastically different from the next.

Blake's favorite thing to do at present was to read all the variations of one tale and decide on her favorite.

She was just starting one she'd never heard about before called "Beauty And the Beast" when a rather startling ruckus interrupted her.

Off to her left were a few study tables.

Well, they were _supposed_ to be for studying, anyway.

But a girl with long blonde hair seemed to be convincing her group of half a dozen friends that it was a party table.

They were all chatting loudly, more loudly than everyone else in both levels of the library combined. They were playing some simple game that would have been harmless if it hadn't consisted of saying a specific word louder and louder each time it came around the table.

Blake did her best to ignore them, flattening her ears so she wouldn't hear the rambunctious group as sharply, like she would do whenever her father's television would get too loud.

She tried to concentrate on the story in her lap, biting the inside of her cheek in an effort to help herself focus.

But she only ended up reading the same line over a dozen times and never comprehending it.

With a groan, she slumped her back against the chair and glared up at the ceiling. Usually the rowdier teenagers would go upstairs where there were more tables and computers to use. That was why Blake herself rarely went up there.

But it seemed this group had migrated, at least for today, and they didn't plan on leaving or quieting down anytime soon.

She flashed an annoyed look over to them where the blonde girl was raising her voice as she said the magic word of the game.

"Pickles!" she laughed.

As the boy on her left repeated the word, the blonde girl lightly punched his shoulder.

"Nuh-uh, do it again! You gotta say it _louder_ than me, dude!"

 _Louder than_ you _?_ Blake thought bitterly. _Is that even possible?_

Apparently it was.

To Blake's dismay, no one in that group was quieting down, and none of the other patrons were bothering to tell them to lower their voices. The librarians and secretaries behind the desks were all busy helping people, though Blake did notice how they kept sending irritated looks in the teenagers' direction.

Blake was starting to consider going up to them herself and asking them to stop. But she'd never been particularly good with talking to strangers, especially rowdy teenagers, and _especially_ when the situation could potentially become confrontational. Her heart started to pound just at the thought of it, and she shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

 _Maybe I'll just head home for today..._

She still had about an hour left of free time, but she supposed cutting that short and doing something productive was better than squandering time here attempting to make sense of a book she couldn't focus on.

Heaving a sigh, she marked her page in the fairytale book and closed it.

The word "pickle" was being said so loudly by now that it was as good as shouting.

Blake briefly stretched her legs, preparing to stand up and regrettably head for the doors.

However, before she could get up, something peculiar happened.

The raucous, repetitive cry of "pickles!" had almost drowned out the flurry of footsteps that now came from the staircase above Blake's head.

She blinked as a flash of red shot down the last few steps and rushed toward the table where the group of teens were laughing. Blake needed to blink a few times before she realized that blur of red was another girl.

She looked to be a few years younger than Blake and a bit shorter as well. The Faunus girl groaned softly again at the thought of another addition to this loud group.

She stood up, ready to leave before things could get any louder.

They did.

Things got so loud that Blake actually jumped and let out a small gasp.

" _PICKLES!_ "

The shout was almost furious and it echoed around the entire library for sure. Nearly every head shot up to look at the source, sending disapproving glares at the table of troublesome teens.

Blake looked over as well, ears still flat for fear of a fight.

The one who had shouted had been the smaller girl, dressed in a red blouse, black skirt, and similarly colored leggings. Her shoulder-length brown hair was frazzled a bit, and her hands were balled into fists at her sides.

Blake couldn't see what kind of expression she was making, but she assumed the girl's face was angry and disapproving.

However, she could _clearly_ see the shocked expressions on everyone _else's_ faces.

The blonde girl and all of her friends looked up at the brunette, startled. With such a loud shout, the game had clearly been unofficially declared over with the red-clad girl as the undisputed victor.

Blake watched as the shorter girl stomped over to the blonde, who was sitting down, but Blake could easily tell that the latter was bigger than the former. She became scared for the brunette, fearing that a fight might break out.

Blake looked around frantically, wondering if she should slip away now or try to get one of the workers to help. But before she could act, the brunette spoke again.

"Yang!" she hissed at the blonde girl. "You guys are being _so loud!_ This is a _library_ , you dummy! This floor doesn't have a tables section where you can be loud without disturbing people like the one upstairs does! Just because some other group took your table today doesn't mean you can bug other people down here!"

Blake's ears twitched a bit as she listened. It was clear these two girls knew each other, and judging by the blonde – Yang's – reaction, she wasn't mad, but guilty of her crimes.

"Aw, sorry, Rubes..." she sighed. "We didn't know we were being that loud, right guys?"

Her table of friends all nodded quickly.

The brunette glared at them all sternly.

"Well, it _was_ loud. And if you don't keep it down, I'll kick you out!" she threatened.

Yang seemed aghast.

"Aww c'mon, Ruby! You wouldn't kick out your own sister, would ya?"

"I will if I have to!" Ruby warned. "It's part of my job."

The blonde girl sighed and bowed her head, promising to be quiet from then on.

Ruby nodded in satisfaction as she turned away from them.

The group seemed to take her warning seriously and settled down to whispers after that, and a tranquil air soon returned to the library.

Blake was still standing in the middle of the room, unsure of where she should go. She was debating going back to her spot where she'd left her book, but her mind suddenly went blank when a voice caught her attention.

"Hello," said the girl in red.

The name tag on her shirt suggested two things to Blake: that her name was Ruby and that she was a staff member here.

Blake fumbled for words as she looked down at the girl, whose shining silver eyes had temporarily captivated her.

"Oh, h-hello," she stammered back. "Um..." She was finding it hard to speak suddenly and she took a small step back.

Ruby kept a comfortable space between them and offered a sheepish smile.

"I'm sorry about my sister and her friends. Usually they can be kinda loud upstairs because that's where people talk most and down here is where people read and do work. I hope she didn't bother you so much that you feel you've gotta leave."

Her kind smile turned into a frown, and for some reason, Blake felt her heart sink upon seeing that.

"Ah, no, it wasn't that," she said quickly. "I actually, uh... needed to get going anyway." She was starting to feel a little odd. Her stomach was fluttering and her eyes couldn't meet Ruby's anymore. "Sorry. Bye."

She didn't know why she was apologizing.

She didn't know why she was saying _anything_ right now, because none of it seemed to be what she _wanted_ to say.

Before Ruby could speak again, Blake turned and briskly headed for the door.

The brunette didn't follow her.

But as she pushed open the doors and gasped in a breath of fresh air, Blake needed to wonder if she'd wanted her to.

* * *

 **A/N: I'll do my best to update every now and again, though it won't be as consistent as my others.**

 **If you like my work, you can support me on as Kiria Alice!**

 **Please review!**


	2. First Crush

**Wow, this fic got the most reviews and favorites of any in a long time with only chapter 1 being posted! Thanks so much, you guys!** **Happy birthday to Aust!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.**

* * *

Chapter 2. First Crush

All for the rest of the afternoon, Blake kept thinking about what had happened at the library.

She couldn't help but think she'd run out on that girl – Ruby – a little too quickly. Had she been rude? Had she remembered to thank her? Her mind was a blur and she didn't know why.

At the time, Blake's only instinct had been to get out of there, but it hadn't been because she'd felt as though she were in danger.

As she sat on her bed and tried to read now, her ears kept twitching as each thought or memory passed through her head.

Again, she was thwarted from her concentration and couldn't read more than a few pages of her book before she was forced to mark it and put it aside. Sighing, she leaned back onto her pillows at the headboard and thought.

 _Well, she works on the second floor, right? I don't usually go up there, but maybe I should try to find her and apologize again tomorrow? Or... should I just leave it alone...?_

She knew which she'd _rather_ do, it was just that she'd never really been the best at conversation. Especially when the other person was a cute girl.

For whatever reason, Blake found talking to cute girls just as – if not _more_ difficult – than talking to strange men.

Of course there was a different feeling to each respective type of conversation, but just because she was talking to a peppy brunette didn't make finding words any easier.

Over-thinking it was getting to her now, and the fuzzy feeling in her stomach that had been present since she'd made eye contact with shining silver only grew now. Blake closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

 _This is ridiculous. I'm not even talking to her right now. I'm just_ thinking _about it..._

Was she just over-reacting? This couldn't really be a crush _already,_ could it? She'd only ever said three words to the girl, and Ruby didn't even know her name!

Blake didn't want to admit it, but Ruby had been on her mind all day, enough to make her lose focus on her reading even more so than her father's loud television did. Blake whimpered and pulled her knees to her chest.

"No way..." She shook her head, not wanting to believe the obvious. "I'm so hopeless..."

She stayed curled in on herself like that for a while until her mother's voice called her down for supper. Blake groaned and smoothed out her clothes a bit as she stood.

 _Alright_ , she decided. _I'll look for her again tomorrow. And if I see her I'll apologize, say thanks again, and that'll be it_.

If only it could've been that easy.

* * *

She woke the next morning to find bright sunlight peeking in between the calming maroon curtains draped across her windows.

The rays highlighted the many, many spines of her book collection, all lined up neatly and alphabetically on various shelves about the room.

There was a scent of old parchment and ink about Blake's room that she'd long-since grown accustomed to, but when she woke first thing in the morning, if she concentrated, she could catch the pleasant scent on her first few breaths. It calmed her down a bit, especially this morning when she had a specific agenda.

An agenda to talk to a cute girl.

As she sat herself up and stretched, her stomach started to feeling twisty again. It was in such a way that she couldn't tell if she was crushing on Ruby and her heart was acting up because of that, or if she'd built this situation up so much in her mind that she was _making_ herself too nervous to interact with anyone outside of her immediate family.

She tried to distract herself by selecting her clothes for the day, pawing through her drawers to pull out some black shorts and a checkered purple shirt. It was arguably one of her nicer summer outfits, but she didn't dwell too much on _why_ she'd decided to go with this one.

Blake hurried about her normal morning routine, taking a few minutes in the bathroom to shower, change, and brush her teeth. She went downstairs to make herself some breakfast as she let her hair dry.

Her parents were both at work today, but she found a little post-it note her mother had left for her on the counter as she often did:

 _Please water the plants in the living room. Love you, Blake!_

It always made her smile, and with the turmoil going on inside of her this morning, her mother's message calmed her down a good deal.

As Blake waited for her toast to turn crispy, she grabbed a small watering can from a cupboard in the kitchen and filled it in the sink. Scurrying with it to the living room, she watered each of the potted plants on the window sill before washing her hands and returning to her food. She ate her meal at a somewhat rushed pace, as though she were on a deadline to be at the library by a certain time.

 _Calm down, Blake. It's only 10AM. The library's open for eleven more hours..._

Once she'd finished eating and had washed her dishes _,_ Blake went back upstairs to her bathroom and did something she didn't often do – she blow-dried her wet hair.

Blake rarely ever blow-dried her hair, as the sounds and heat aggravated her ears. But she didn't want to look so scraggly and unkempt if she was going to be talking to Ruby again today.

She only kept the hair-dryer on for a minute before flicking it off and putting it away. Her dark hair was warm now, and the fur of her ears was dryer at the very least.

She retreated to her room where she grabbed her favorite small, brown handbag, which she packed a few books and her wallet into. With one last look in her bathroom mirror, Blake tried out a smile on herself for good measure, but quickly ducked her face and hurried down the stairs.

She locked the front door and stepped out into the warm summer day where the sunlight blessed her damp hair with strokes of warmth. Luckily for her, it was the time of year where the heat was not yet sweltering, which was good for someone like Blake. She had a certain sensitivity to the most extreme temperatures in any form, so right now she welcomed the weather.

She walked down the length of their property, passing by the green lawn her father took such pride in and the colorful garden her mother cherished. Her father had planted a few of those flowers as well, and just thinking about it put Blake a little more at ease.

So as she walked, she tried to focus on the scenery and not what she was going to be doing at the library. She focused on the sapling bushes with their blossoming pink petals, the larger trees with their fuller green leaves, the blueness of the sky, the chirping of the birds, the way the sunlight gave the road a silver sheen-

Silver.

It reminded her of Ruby's eyes.

Blake found herself tossed back into the turmoil of earlier this morning, and her ears flattened in dismay.

 _Okay_ , she coached herself. _How about this? I won't go looking for her today. I'll just do my usual routine. I won't see her unless she's specifically looking for me, which is highly unlikely. She's working on the second floor, so she'd have no reason to come down and speak to_ me _of all people._

For whatever reason, she tried to tell herself that self-deprecation would make herself feel better about everything.

Blake continued her walk until her feet naturally took her to her favorite sight to behold.

The Vale Public Library appeared to be as calm and quiet as ever. Several humans and Faunus intermingled in the grass beneath a tree having a picnic, while others sat and read on the little benches stationed outside.

Blake's posture naturally straightened a bit as she walked into the familiar environment, her safe haven of three years now. She made her way along the sidewalk, then found herself at the doors.

Here, she paused and took a breath.

 _Just... act normally._

Resolved, she opened the door and slipped inside.

As soon as she was inside, her favorite sound reached her ears.

Silence.

The scent of books and coffee filled her lungs instantly, and it calmed her all over again. Her entire morning had been a roller coaster of being relaxed and on the edge of panic. She tried to stick to the former as she walked in, her shoes padding softly over the plush carpet.

She dipped her head in greeting to the rabbit-Faunus barista, a good friend of hers named Velvet, then did the same for the woman with deer ears at the front desk.

All of the staff who worked down here smiled up at Blake, the only patron who'd been here every day since the first.

Normally, she would've wandered the aisles a bit, looked at the new releases and rifled through the returns to see if the volume she'd been needing to check out had come back yet.

But today she was feeling a little weak in the knees, so she simply stumbled straight over to her spot beneath the staircase and collapsed into her cushioned chair.

Only once she'd already sat down did she realize she probably should've stopped to get some tea at the cafe to help calm her nerves, but it was too late for that now.

With another sigh, she placed her bag on the little table next to her seat and fished out a book to resume.

She sat there in peace and quiet and read happily and wasn't distracted at all.

That's how it _should've_ been, anyway.

But as was often the case, the reality was nothing at all like Blake's imagined fantasy.

The library was as tranquil as ever, for it seemed the blonde girl – Yang – and her friends were upstairs again if they were here at all.

No one was speaking above a whisper, no one was blasting music out of their headphones.

But still, Blake couldn't focus on her book at all. Her stomach felt odd. She shifted in her seat repeatedly, trying to find a more comfortable position, crossing or un-crossing her ankles or curling one leg beneath her.

But nothing seemed to help. She couldn't make sense of her book at all, and it was almost as bad as yesterday when the rowdy group of teens had been yelling.

Only now it was _quiet_. She _should_ have been able to do this!

 _What is wrong with me...?_

Ears drooping, Blake brought the book to her face and hit herself lightly.

And then she remembered what was wrong with herself.

Soft footsteps from above had her peeking her eyes above the top of the book just for curiosity's sake.

The person who had just hopped off the staircase was dressed in cute red and black clothes, her brown hair tickling the tops of her shoulders.

Blake's stomach flipped.

"Oh, god..."

She immediately ducked her face back behind her book, like an ostrich burying its head in the sand – as if it would conceal the _rest_ of her.

 _Why is she down here? I mean, not that she_ can't _be. She works here, after all. But why-_ Blake's thoughts cut off and her entire body tensed as she heard footsteps coming her way. _Oh, no. No way. She can't-_

But more than wondering what Ruby was doing down here, Blake needed to ask herself why she was reacting so strongly. But she didn't have much time left to think before-

"Um, excuse me, miss?"

Her voice was so sweet and polite and familiar. Ruby should've just sounded like any other girl, but to Blake her voice was very different in a lot of ways.

 _There's no way I have a crush on her, right?_

"Uh, hello...?"

Nope. Definitely a crush.

Blake forgot how to breathe as she peered up over the top of her book again.

Ruby was standing there a few feet away, a respectable distance, but still too close for Blake's heart to handle. And her eyes were sparkling silver, slightly concerned, her red lips dipping into a small frown.

Blake felt numb, her ears perked tall as her hands fell limply into her lap with the book. She swallowed hard and did her best not to hyperventilate. She had it really bad for this girl.

"O-Oh, I'm sorry. Hello..." She tried to sit up straight and look her in the eye.

Ruby kept her distance and smiled as soon as Blake spoke to her. And that smile sent Blake's heart into overdrive.

But Ruby seemed none the wiser and continued with her joyful tone.

"I'm so glad I found you!" she beamed. "I wanted to apologize again about my sister yesterday. She's a pain sometimes. And, oh! You left your book behind and I wanted to return it to you!"

Blake hadn't realized the girl had been holding the fairytale book under her arm until now. Ruby offered it to her with a smile.

"I made sure to hold onto it for you so no one else would pick it up! And your page is still marked, too! I love your bookmark, by the way! It's a black kitty cat and the ears stick up above the pages to let you know where you left off. That's so cute!"

 _That's not the only thing,_ Blake wanted to wheeze.

But for such a well-red girl, she felt illiterate at the moment.

It took every shred of composure in her entire body to accept the book from Ruby with trembling hands. As the book was transferred, Blake felt their fingers brush. Her ears laid flat now as she felt her heart really begin to pound. Blake brought a hand to her chest and gave a thin reply to the girl.

"Th-Thank you..."

Ruby maintained her bright smile.

"No trouble at all, miss!" She clasped her hands together delightedly, then twirled one of her shoes in a bashful little circle. "Actually, I was wondering- oh! I-Is something wrong, miss?" Ruby's smile faded instantly and was replaced by another frown, the concern in her eyes increasing tenfold.

Blake knew how she must have looked to the girl right now, with her ears flat, hand to her chest, and breath shaking. Ruby took a hesitant step closer, wanting to reach out to her, but not knowing what to do.

"Y-You don't look well, miss. Can I get you a bottle of water? Should I make a phone call for you?"

Blake squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head vigorously.

"N-No-" she forced out. "That's okay. I'm fine. I just-" She needed to look away from Ruby. "I... actually need to get going." It took everything within her power not to stumble when she stood, packing her books into her back with trembling hands.

"A-Are you sure?" Ruby asked worriedly. "Can I at least call a cab for you, miss? Sorry if I'm intruding, but you don't look well."

"I'm fine. Really," Blake said, more curtly than she'd intended.

"T-Then may I help you to the doors at least?" Ruby requested.

But Blake shook her head without wasting a second.

"No. It's fine."

She didn't even look at the girl again before she rushed out as quickly as she could without full-on running. She struggled to get the door open, then nearly stumbled again once she'd gotten out.

Blake only made it a few steps onto the sidewalk before she felt her legs giving out. She veered off into the grass and collapsed against a tree, leaning back on it heavily.

She was a mess.

And that was putting it nicely.

She couldn't believe she'd blown this. She hadn't accomplished anything, hadn't thanked Ruby for her trouble or apologized for running out yesterday.

If anything, Blake had only added to the list of things she needed to apologize for, now having run off a second time without so much as a glance at the poor girl.

But her face felt far too hot for her to go back in and make amends, and her chest was pounding.

Whimpering softly, Blake pulled her knees to her chest and buried her face as she tried to calm down.

She'd never felt like this before. But not just in terms of how she physically felt and reacted.

She had never experienced such _feeling_ before, such an intense feeling. Her body hadn't been properly prepared for such a powerful emotion, so she'd panicked, shut down, and ran.

It had happened to her plenty of times before, but usually when dealing with negative emotions.

This one... _liking_ someone...

Blake didn't think this should've felt so uncomfortable.

And yet, it wasn't all bad.

It was difficult to describe, but her heart wasn't just pounding from the panic, but also from something else.

It was... almost elating to get to talk to and see Ruby, almost liberating.

Now if only she could learn to do it properly and for longer than four seconds.

Heaving another sigh, Blake finally got control over herself again.

 _Tomorrow_ , she swore to herself. _Now that I know what I'm dealing with, now that I know just how much I like her, tomorrow for sure._

After another few minutes of calming herself, Blake picked up her bag and managed to stand up.

Then, she headed for home much too early, with a wobble in her step, but resolve in her heart.

* * *

 **A/N: I tend to make Blake an emotional mess in my fics, it seems. In this story, she has two kind of conditions. One was mentioned already - her sensitivity to extreme temperatures (cold or hot), and then just her over-reactions. She gets highly emotional in situations where most people wouldn't be very fazed. Just keep those in mind as you read future chapters!**

 **If you like my work, you can support me on as Kiria Alice!**

 **Please review!**


	3. To The Cafe

**Glad you guys liked the first two chapters! Again, I'll say it that Blake has some different traits in this fic, _including_ her intense emotional reactions. To those who thought it was too far-fetched or overdone, I don't need to hear your complaints ~**

 **Thank you moonwatcher13! This chapter is for you~!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.**

* * *

Chapter 3. To The Cafe

Blake scolded herself all afternoon, all evening, and all night after the incident.

She was a mess all the while, moody and upset with herself, as she'd accomplished none of the goals she'd set out to accomplish today, other than seeing Ruby.

She'd seen her alright, and Ruby had been worried about Blake, and that had only served to fluster the Faunus girl even more.

She'd had crushes before, all of them one-sided, and this one probably was, too. Blake had even managed to talk to a few of her previous love interests in the past, but all of those conversations had been child's play compared to what had happened to her at the library.

She'd never reacted so strongly before – to anything.

Perhaps it was because she'd built herself up so much about the encounter that she'd just overwhelmed herself and broken down. That seemed like the most likely possibility.

So all night, she coached herself that she wouldn't do that again. That tomorrow she'd act _normally_ when she went into the library.

She never wanted to be that skittish about anything ever again. Not only did it make her angry with herself, but it had probably hurt Ruby's feelings, too.

Blake curled up in her bed that night and offered silent apologies to the girl, hoping Ruby might give her another chance tomorrow.

* * *

When morning came, Blake was up long before her alarm clock firmly coaxed her.

Empowered by the desire to make today a success, she rolled herself out of bed and chose clothes for the day, then freshened up and got changed in the bathroom. Her shorts today were grey and her shirt was black with the sleeves rolled halfway up to her elbows.

She brushed her hair quickly and left it down, grabbed her handbag with several books packed inside, and then hurried downstairs to eat. After reading over her parents' daily note with a smile, Blake set out for her second home.

The day was warm again, the sun bright in a cloudless blue sky. The breeze seemed to urge her forward, all the plants and grasses guiding her in that direction.

Blake was ready. Now that she knew getting so worked up over it would only result in disaster, she'd trained herself to be calmer, not think about it too much.

 _I'm just gonna read today. And once I see her, I'll apologize for yesterday. Very simple, nothing fancy._

The library was soon within her sights, and she put a spring in her step to reach the doors.

After slipping inside, her eyes immediately scanned the quiet room for a splash of red. It was one of the few colors she knew Ruby to wear often, but she realized the girl could be wearing anything at all.

Yet from here, Blake couldn't see her.

But rather than start searching for her like an officer seeking a suspect, Blake reminded herself to be calm.

She took a breath and stepped into the cafe, the padding of her boots on the carpet switched for a click on tile. There was a small line leading up to the counter, so Blake waited patiently, enjoying the very faint tunes of the music that played in here. It wasn't loud enough to travel into the library, but was just enough to create a tranquil environment in the cafe.

Once it was Blake's turn, the brunette rabbit Faunus barista by the name of Velvet greeted Blake with a kind smile.

"Good morning, Blake!" she said with a small bounce. They'd been familiar with one another for three years now, since the library had opened, thus her willingness to drop the "miss" in front of Blake's name, as the staff were trained to do.

Blake flicked her ears happily at the other girl whose ears were perked tall.

"Good morning. Where's Coco?"

"She's in back with Canela doing dishes," Velvet replied with her slight accent. "What can I get you?"

"I'll have the usual. And this," she added, picking up a small wrapped blueberry muffin from the shelf.

"You've got it!"

Velvet turned away to prepare Blake her usual drink: Darjeeling tea with milk and a pinch of sugar.

Once it was all ready, Blake paid and put her change in the tip jar as she thanked the girl. She took her muffin in one hand and grabbed a few napkins in the other before placing them around her tea cup. She made sure only to touch the napkin and not the cup directly as she picked it up.

She wasn't exactly good with the heat...

Rather than sit at the small tables provided by the cafe, Blake elected to sit in her secret spot beneath the staircase. She'd never spilled a drop of anything on these carpets in her life, and a small coaster on the wooden table beside her chair ensured the furniture never got damaged.

It was routine for her to give back the white tea cup to the cafe once she'd finished with it, so the library's staff didn't have to clean up after her.

Blake considered herself lucky for having forgotten to order her tea yesterday, otherwise there was no doubt in her mind that she would've left it behind in her panic to rush out.

But that wouldn't happen again. Not today.

Blake's stride was steady and almost even confident as she made her way to the staircase, placed her cup and napkins down on the table, and finally took her seat.

She sank into the soft, familiar material of the love seat, and when she breathed in, she caught the faint scent of lavender. That told her the staff must have recently sprayed freshener and cleaned the cushions. They did that for all of the movable plush furniture, and the day after they did it always gave the place an even more pleasant atmosphere.

Blake reclined into the seat and let out another sigh. After one more glance around, she still didn't see Ruby, so she let her eyes close as she took in deep, satisfying breath.

 _It's okay. This will be fine. Nothing like yesterday._

Her plan now was to go about her day as per usual.

And so she did. She opened up one of her books from home and leaned back to indulge herself in it.

Depending on her interest level on the material, Blake could be a quick reader when she wanted to be, but for the most part she opted to take her time and absorb every word.

She loved getting lost in the worlds of her books, be they fiction or non-fiction. She loved getting into the minds of the characters, trying to decipher who had good intentions and who was hiding something.

She took a few sips of her cooling tea before she began, but once she was really into her reading, she neglected to remember about all else.

As so often happened, Blake forgot about her tea and let the remaining liquid get cold as she buried her nose in her book. She even forgot about yesterday's panic with Ruby.

Reading really was like therapy to her in the sense that it could let her forget things for a time. Books were what she turned to when she needed a rest from reality.

She was of able mindset today, so Blake read for several hours. She finished one book and spared a few choked tears for the ending, then gulped down the rest of her cold tea to help herself recover.

Blake took the time to stretch out her stiff limbs, then started on her next book.

Another hour or so passed before she forced herself to mark her page and close the cover. Her stomach let out an embarrassing growl, and Blake quickly tore open the wrapping of her muffin and dug in, being mindful to catch every crumb in the plastic.

Once she'd satiated herself, she picked up her garbage and scurried to the nearest trash can beside the help desk. While she was up, she remembered that she'd actually had an agenda for today, and she'd yet to meet it.

While reading, she'd forgotten about Ruby, too.

Blake groaned slightly as she inwardly scolded herself. _Damn it, Blake! You got too carried away with the books again..._

She looked around once more, but didn't see the brunette.

And then it hit her. Ruby worked on the second floor of the library, and in recent days, she'd had _reason_ to come downstairs.

First it had been to quiet her loud sister, and second it had been to return Blake's book.

But now that all was peaceful downstairs, and Blake had the fairytales collection back in her possession, Ruby had no reason to come down here.

Blake would've kicked herself if possible.

 _All this time I've just been happily reading! Idiot!_

She hurried back to her spot and packed her books into her handbag. She left her empty tea cup, making a silent vow to come back for it before she left today.

Blake then hurried up the carpeted steps to the level she'd only ever been to a handful of times before.

Upstairs, the library was very different. Long tables were set up all around the wide space with rolling chairs behind them. Computer screens gave off hazily bright lights as people of all ages – though most were teenagers – typed away.

It was notably louder up here, with more people talking at higher volumes and music playing from more than one set of headphones.

There were shelves of books up here too, but the majority of the space was dedicated to printing and online work stations.

Blake felt so out of place here.

She walked awkwardly forward into the unfamiliar territory, peering cautiously around the tables and monitors for the person she sought.

Thankfully, she didn't have to search for long.

She spotted Ruby standing with her back straight and her hands folded neatly before her as she addressed a blonde boy who looked like he was having trouble with his computer. Ruby offered him a kind smile that sent a pang of something unnamed through Blake's chest.

She'd later discern it to be jealousy.

From what her Faunus ears could pick up on, Ruby was simply helping the boy out with checking out a book electronically.

"Since we don't have it in our library," she was saying to him. "We can order it from another one and they'll ship it here for us! It should arrive in 3 to 5 days and then you can check it out from here!"

The boy let out a relieved sigh.

"That's awesome. Thanks so much for your help."

"Don't mention it, sir!"

It still seemed a little odd to Blake that the workers here had to address people, even ones their own age, so formally. She'd moved beyond that with Velvet and the other baristas due to Blake's own frequent visits to the cafe.

She hoped she could get to that point with Ruby someday, too...

Once Ruby had finished helping the boy, Blake took a step forward. She didn't want to disrupt the girl in her work, but she needed to speak to her, for both their sakes.

She noticed a familiar blonde girl who could've been none other than Yang sitting nearby. A girl with long white hair tied into a neat ponytail sat beside her, looking irked as she hissed at the blonde.

But Blake's attention soon zeroed in on Ruby alone.

She swallowed, ignored the beating in her chest, and walked up to behind her.

"E-Excuse me..."

Ruby turned around quickly.

"Yes! How may I- Oh!" As soon as she realized who she was speaking with, a spark of familiarity appeared in Ruby's kind silver eyes.

Blake was happy about that. Really happy.

Ruby put on a wide smile for her, and Blake's heart went off.

"Hello, miss!" Ruby said. "Is there something I can help you with?" She then looked around and lowered her voice to ensure her next comment would be kept private between Blake and herself. "I hope it's not weird of me to say, but I hope you're feeling better. You seemed a little flustered yesterday."

 _A little flustered..._ Blake thought bitterly, though the bitterness was at no one but herself. She took another breath and shook her head.

"I'm fine. Thank you... for asking..." She realized Ruby's concern touched her a bit, and it made something warm spread throughout her chest. "I'd actually just... I came looking for you, because I wanted to um..." Her words suddenly began to fail her.

 _No! Come on, Blake, you've made it this far!_

As she hesitated, Ruby put in a guess of her own.

"Oh! Were you worried about Yang being too loud again? Don't worry, Weiss has got her under control today! That's the girl next to her. She's Yang's girlfriend! Since she heard about the day Yang was playing the Pickle Game in here, Weiss got suuuper mad at her and has been yelling at her about it ever since, telling her she's gotta keep quiet in the library and stuff."

As she rambled on, Blake's ears started to lift. The sound of Ruby's carefree voice gave her the encouragement she needed to finish her thought.

"Actually," Blake said. "I wanted to find you... so I could apologize... for yesterday..."

"Apologize?"

"Yeah. I was... really rude to run out on you like that. I-I didn't mean anything by it. Honest." Her ears drooped again and her smile faded as she was forced to remember her own foolishness.

But Ruby was quick to make her feel better again.

"Oh, no, not at all! You don't have to apologize!" she cried. "Please don't feel bad about it, miss! If you ever don't feel well, it's important that you take care of yourself first!"

Her declaration made Blake's heart flutter all over again.

This girl understood. Her eyes said as much.

Blake needed to wipe her sleeve over her own face and sniffle a bit, but her little smile came back before long.

Seeing the change in her reaction, Ruby grinned as well.

"But I _am_ glad you came to find me today! I couldn't get downstairs yet today, but I... kinda wanted to see you, too!"

Blake knew that part must have been in her head, a figment of her self-indulgent imagination.

Or so she thought.

But Ruby's beaming smile was nothing but genuine, and she was kicking her foot in a bashful little circle again.

Blake almost felt dizzy, but she refused to run away again.

And yet, she had no idea what to say at this point.

So naturally, she stumbled and stammered like a broken record.

"I-I... I um..."

"Oh, y'know?" Ruby said quickly. "It's actually time for my break right now! I think I'm gonna head to the cafe."

Ruby's eyes sent up a silent message to Blake, a hint.

Blake thanked the universe that she took it.

"Oh. I was actually gonna head there myself."

"Great!" Ruby clapped. "Then we can go together! Is that okay?"

She was giving Blake one more chance to affirm this, so they both knew it wasn't just going to be for coincidence's sake.

Blake breathed again and nodded.

"Yes. Of course it-it's fine."

She might've stammered a bit, but the giddy smile she got in return for it was priceless.

"Yay! Let's go, let's go!" Ruby darted for the staircase and all but flew down it.

Blake followed more slowly, almost in a trance.

She couldn't believe what had just happened – what was _still_ happening.

She'd just met an adorable girl only a few days ago and had only spoken to her a few times, and now they were going to a cafe together.

 _Isn't this... a-a date...?_

The word almost had her fainting where she stood.

But by some miracle, she managed to limp shakily down the stairs after Ruby, gripping tightly to the railing all the while.

She'd set out today to apologize to Ruby for her behavior yesterday.

And now she had a date.

If this were a dream, Blake didn't want anyone to pinch her.

* * *

 **A/N: Good job, Blake! Let's see how this goes next chapter~**

 **If you like my work, you can support me on as Kiria Alice!**

 **Please review!**


	4. Disheartened

**Alright, now that holiday fics and commissions are just about over with, I'll try to get back to consistently updating this fic! Thanks for waiting!**

 **This chapter is dedicated to** **tehwinslow! Thank you!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.**

* * *

Chapter 4. Disheartened

It was a little difficult for Blake to get all the way down the staircase as she was.

She watched the excited bobbing of Ruby's hair, the little sway of her skirt, and almost got distracted and tripped over her own two feet.

 _Calm down!_ she cried to herself. _This... isn't really a date. It can't be. It's just a pleasant coincidence. We just both happen to be going to the same place at the same time. That's all._

She realized that thinking about it that way made her less nervous.

By some miracle, she managed to make it down the stairs. Ruby had paused at the bottom to wait for her, her bright smile almost blinding.

Blake's heart rate kicked up a little as she successfully stepped onto level ground once again. The Faunus girl plastered on a tiny smile of her own in an effort to hide her nervousness about the situation.

She wasn't sure if her acting was good enough to convince to Ruby, or if the brunette was simply too kind to say anything, but Ruby seemed delighted by Blake's presence.

Ruby slid in closer a step. It was all Blake could do not to tense and squeak in surprise at her sudden proximity. Ruby kept her voice low as not to disturb the people reading.

"Thanks again for joining me, miss! I'm sure you must be super busy with your own schedule though, so if it's too much trouble, don't feel bad about ditching me!"

Blake frowned and promptly shook her head.

"N-No, not at all," she assured. "I don't have much of anything to do today, actually. I could never just..."

 _Run out on you_.

That's what she'd wanted to say, but she trailed off, remembering how she'd done just that the past two times she'd been here. She let out a sigh.

 _Way to go, Belladonna..._

But before she could let the guilt cover her again, or before Ruby could grow concerned, Blake's mind went off on a small tangent.

"Oh, s-sorry, could you wait for me for a moment?"

Ruby presented her with a puzzled look that quickly changed back into a smile.

"Sure! I'll be right here!"

"Thanks."

With that, Blake hurried off towards her spot beneath the staircase. The little jog allowed her a moment to herself, to run off a few of the jitters and catch her breath.

Thankfully, she hadn't just run over here for no reason other than to have a moment alone. Blake had left her tea cup from the cafe on the little table before, and now retrieving it was her excuse to leave Ruby for a bit and get her bearings.

As she reached for the small tea cup, her fingers were shaking a little, and she very nearly dropped and shattered it. Only her quick, panicked reflexes saved the quaint little cup and her pride.

Blake pulled the undamaged cup close to her stomach and shook her head to clear it.

 _Just... Just act natural. Like you did upstairs. I don't know where that confidence came from, but it'd be nice to have some of it back right now. Maybe that was just a fluke..._

With a soft groan, she turned back to Ruby, knowing the girl's break time probably wasn't terribly long, and she didn't want to waste any more of it. Blake returned to the patiently-waiting brunette with the big smile still on her face.

"Oh, thank you!" Ruby said kindly.

Blake's ears flattened in confusion.

"For what? I haven't done anything."

"But you have! Good golly, miss, I can't tell you how sloppy the people on the second floor can be. They _always_ forget to clean up their garbage and return their coffee mugs to the cafe, even though they've gotta walk right past it to leave the library! So it's really nice to see people cleaning up after themselves!"

Blake's ears slowly lifted, though she felt her cheeks getting warm as the two of them continued to walk.

"You... shouldn't have to thank me. It's common courtesy to put things away when you're finished with them. Like returning a library book. It's our responsibility to take good care of it when it's in our possession, and then return things in a timely manner without damage.

"You shouldn't be thanking me for doing what's common sense. _I_ should really be thanking _you_ and all the other staff who are made to clean up after forgetful or lazy people."

She didn't know where the sudden stream of words came from, but she was amazed at herself.

Blake wasn't much of a talker, unless she was extremely comfortable around the other person – usually she could gab to her parents at dinnertime or her neighbor Adam if they ever bumped into one another. And sometimes she might talk in-length to Velvet at the cafe.

But to strangers? Even if she didn't like thinking of Ruby that way, she hardly knew her beyond her name and smile.

Blake assumed she'd only ranted a bit because the topic had been one she felt strongly about, the injustices of lazy people who felt like the staff and workers of a place were their slaves. Waiters and waitresses had it bad enough, hence Blake's own adamant refusal to ever apply for such a summer job. She'd never understand those kinds of patrons anywhere.

By this point, she and Ruby had reached the tiled cafe area, and soft, calming music reached Blake's ears. They perked up again to their full height now as she let the tunes relax her.

Ruby seemed a little shocked at the discourse just now, and the Faunus quickly dipped her head.

"Sorry. I-I didn't mean to sound rude or anything..."

"Rude? Miss, that was the total opposite of rude! It makes me so happy to know there are people out there who respect us workers! Sometimes, it's easy to forget."

Blake's heart sank a little.

"Then... I'm sorry there must be so many rude patrons that you forget that."

But Ruby shook her head, her smile never fading.

"But there aren't many rude people, really! At least not here. Maybe in retail or something, but not here! They're few and far between. And it's the nice, kind people like you who make the job all the better, miss! So thank you!"

That beaming smile again.

Blake almost swayed, but she got away with making it look like another step into the cafe. Thankfully, Ruby changed the subject now.

"Oh, boy! Chocolate-chip cookies, here I come!"

There was no one on line right now, so Ruby quickly made her way over to the counter. Blake followed a little more slowly, still cradling her tea cup, thankful that it gave her hands something to do.

Velvet was there, standing tall and ready for her work as ever, her ears held high and proudly. The second she recognized her customers, a smile appeared on her lips.

"Hello, Ruby!" she greeted. "Oh, and Blake! You're here again, too!"

"Yes," the other Faunus said. "I just wanted to return this." She placed the tea cup onto the counter.

Velvet nodded and reached for it, carefully taking it into her hands. She called out for her companion, the dog-Faunus named Canela, and handed her the cup so she could take it back to their kitchen to wash it. Velvet turned back to Blake with as pleasant a smile as ever.

"Thank you so much as always, Blake. You never fail to return our things."

"Don't mention it."

During their brief conversation, Ruby had been deciding what to order. Now, as Velvet turned to her, she was ready for the question.

"And Ruby," Velvet said. "Here for your lunch break? What can I get for you?"

"Hiya, Velvet!" she grinned. "I think I'll just have the usual, please!"

"You've got it," she chuckled.

At that point, another of the cafe's workers appeared from the door that led back to the kitchen. As Canela scurried away, tail wagging at the prospect of washing Blake's cup, another girl emerged.

Coco was Velvet's girlfriend, and the cafe's only human worker. Past her dark sunglasses, she flashed a smile to both her customers.

"Hey now, what a sight for sore eyes. Blake's here and Ruby, too? You guys on a date or somethin'?"

Her comment had Velvet almost shrieking as she lunged at her girlfriend, pushing a palm to Coco's mouth.

"Coco!" she scolded. "That's none of our business!"

"Aw, you're no fun, Velvs. I mean just look at the way they're blushing-"

" _Coco!_ "

"Alright, alright." Coco relented, dipping her head in apology.

Velvet let out a withering sigh and shot Blake an apologetic glance before getting back to her work. "Help me please, Coco!" she hissed to keep the other girl from taunting their customers more.

Coco shrugged and smiled as she turned her back and attended to her girlfriend.

For Blake, the past several minutes had felt unreal. She'd almost blacked out after everything Coco had said.

The human girl had always been fairly blatant with her thoughts, never thinking all that much before she spoke. She was quick to resolve – and win – any disputes with nagging customers or people who gave the staff a hard time about not working quickly enough. She was viciously honest when she needed to be, and although this incident hadn't been spoken with ill-intent, it had still been fairly tactless.

Blake couldn't even look at Ruby. She just glanced nervously around the room, pretending she hadn't heard Coco speak at all.

Ruby was more confused than upset, and there was something else bugging her that took precedence in her mind at the moment.

But for poor Blake, it was all she could do not to run for the exit again.

 _Not again!_ she wailed to herself. _Just a little longer. I didn't even get to thank her yet! All I did so far was apologize to Ruby, but I never actually thanked her for holding onto the book, though. I can't leave today before I've done that..._

Blake took in several deep breaths and tried to steel herself.

It took her a moment, but she finally turned back to Ruby, ears flicking nervously. She cleared her throat, trying to sound casual.

"S-So, um... what's your 'usual', if you don't mind my asking?"

Ruby perked up as Blake addressed her.

"Oh! It's a large chocolate-chip cookie, a chocolate-chip muffin, a brownie with whipped-cream and a strawberry, and a large chocolate shake!" she listed off happily.

Blake nodded slowly.

"That sounds really good..."

"Are you gonna get anything, miss?"

"N-No... I'm fine. I had some tea and a muffin earlier."

But when she paused to think about it for a minute, she realized she'd have nothing to do during all the time while Ruby ate. She quickly changed her mind.

"O-On second thought, Velvet?" she called softly. The rabbit-Faunus' tall brown ears twitched as she turned around expectantly. Blake bit her lip as she made a request of her own. "Could you add another tea to that order, please?"

Velvet smiled.

"Of course, Blake! Just one moment, if you will."

"Oh, I see how it is," Coco mumbled as she grabbed Ruby's food from the display case. "Little Blake's gonna have some tea as an excuse to stick around longer with Little Red, huh?"

"Coco!" Velvet hissed at her again, and this time silenced her with a firm kiss. Coco actually blushed for a second, though it was hard to catch with her shades covering her eyes.

Blake felt herself blush again as well as she witnessed the two girls bantering, and even Ruby's eyes went a little wide. From her spot, Blake's ears caught Velvet's chiding words as she pulled away.

"Coco, I'm going to have a talk with you later."

"Y'know, it's so cute how you seem to think kissin' me like that is a _punishment_ , Velvs."

"You hush! Please just give them their food and let them be!"

"Alright, alright," Coco sighed again, though she seemed infinitely happier to place Ruby's food on the counter now.

It was evident to Blake that she was finished teasing Ruby and herself now. Coco was much more eager for the lecture Velvet was going to give her in the kitchen, no doubt.

"Here you are, Little Red," Coco smirked. "One large chocolate-chip, one muffin, and one brownie." She placed each item onto a small tray as she named it, then slid the tray over to Ruby's side of the counter.

"And here's your milkshake," Velvet said, just as she put the lid on the cup. She handed it to Ruby and then hurried off to fetch Blake's tea. "And here you are, Blake," she said upon her return.

"Thanks, Velvet!"

"Thank you."

"And I'm discounting you both," Velvet informed them as she typed everything in on the register. "One dollar each. Coco can pay the difference."

"Jeez, you're so mean to me, Velvs."

"Because you were so rude to our customers."

"Alright, guess I deserved that one."

Velvet rang up their respective totals for them. Ruby dug into her skirt pocket and pulled out her wallet, then handed Velvet the money. With the discount, Blake only needed to pay one dollar.

Velvet thanked them both and nudged Coco so she'd do the same. Blake and Ruby both thanked them again as well.

Ruby then picked up her tray of goodies, clearly eager to dig into the sweets.

Blake made sure to grab a few napkins to hold around her tea cup, lest the direct heat irritate her sensitive skin.

The two of them turned away to select a table to sit at, but behind herself, Blake could hear Velvet's sweeter-than-honey voice turn disapproving now as she scolded Coco more.

"Now then, I'll need to have a word with you in the back!"

"Oh man, I'm _so_ scared, Velvs~"

"As you should be!"

After that, Blake quickly tuned out and tried to focus on her own predicament.

 _Alright, this is it. I'll thank her and then-_

"Oh, _shoot!_ "

Ruby's sudden exclamation had the Faunus girl jumping, and her tea nearly spilled. Blake turned to the girl quickly.

"Wh-What's the matter?"

Ruby put her tray of food down onto the nearest table so she could smack a palm to her face.

"I completely forgot! There's a staff meeting thingy today at one!"

Blake glanced up quickly to the clock on the far wall. They had no more than five minutes until that time.

Her heart dropped to her toes.

Ruby turned to her and all but threw herself forward into a huge apologetic bow.

"I'm so sorry, miss! I completely forgot! I didn't mean to cause trouble for you! And I'm sorry, but I've actually gotta go right now! I'll probably just take my food with me... B-But I'm so sorry for having to leave you like this! And there was so much I'd wanted to talk to you about, too..."

Blake's heart fluttered, a mad drumbeat in her chest as she shakily put her teacup down as not to drop it.

"I... I'd wanted to... talk to you too..." Her voice actually wobbled, and tears sprung up. But she quickly wiped them away, not wanting to make Ruby feel bad. "But I... I understand. I know this is important for you. I just..."

Awkwardly, she took a step back.

She'd been so... so _happy_ at the thought of having lunch together with Ruby, talking to her more.

Now everything just hurt.

Ruby slowly lifted herself up again, straightening her back. She could see the hurt in Blake's eyes, and Blake could see that Ruby was just as dismayed as she herself was.

"I'm really, _really_ sorry, miss! I'm gonna make it up to you, I promise! If it's okay with you, how about we try this again tomorrow? Or the next time you're here? I've got my lunch break from 12:30 to 1:30. I-If you can come find me, we can maybe... try again tomorrow? And there's no meeting or anything tomorrow, I swear!"

Blake swallowed down a thickness of sorts and tried not to sniffle. The fact that Ruby was just as upset about this development as she was at least let Blake know that the girl had been equally as _excited_ about having lunch together with her.

At the very least, that made Blake feel a little better.

And Ruby had even suggested trying again tomorrow, and that meant she truly wanted to spend some time with Blake. Had Ruby just shrugged this all off and never made an attempt to see her again, Blake would have been utterly crushed.

But at least with this, there was still hope, right?

So she nodded and put on a smile.

"Yeah," she mumbled. "Yeah, I... I can do this again tomorrow. I can... I'll come find you again, if that's alright."

Ruby's face lit up.

"Really? Oh, thank gosh! I'm so happy to hear that, miss! Cuz I really _really_ wanted to just talk to you about some things. I got really excited thinking about it."

But before Blake could wonder what she meant, Ruby changed her train of thought.

"Oh, and y'know, now that we've got this planned for tomorrow, I'll be ready and I won't waste a second of our time! I promise, miss! Just come find me, okay?"

Blake blinked slowly, trying to keep the tears back.

"Okay. I will. I promise... Ruby."

The brunette let out a small gasp at the sound of her name. Her lips curved upward into a huge smile, bigger than any Blake had seen on her thus far.

"Thank you so much! Then I'll see you tomorrow, miss!"

With that, Ruby whipped around, grabbed her tray of food, and hurried off out of the cafe.

As Blake watched her go, she realized she'd never even told Ruby her name.

She was alone in the cafe now – no other customers, and Velvet, Coco, and Canela were in the kitchen. Only the slow-paced music kept her company now.

Blake dejectedly picked up her napkins and tea cup and carried them over to the farthest table, in the corner away from any windows or doorways. She placed her things down and sat heavily on the cushioned chair, her hand bag slipping down off her shoulder.

She didn't know what she was feeling.

Overwhelmed was probably the best word. She didn't know if it was more by good feelings or bad feelings.

Blake rested her elbows on the table and buried her face in her hands, trying to calm herself a bit. Her heart was still racing, leftover nerves from the date she'd almost had with her crush.

She knew she'd get to see Ruby again tomorrow and redo all of this.

She should've felt hopeful, happy, excited. She _knew_ that.

But she was just so _devastated_ by the foiled plans of today.

Things had gone almost perfectly until the last few minutes. She was upset for reasons she really couldn't explain.

Her bottom lip trembled, and she bit into it.

And without fully understanding why, she cried.

The more she tried to look on the bright side of things for tomorrow, the more she recalled the frustrations of today.

She tried to be happy about tomorrow. She really did.

But it just couldn't happen.

She cried softly, using a napkin to wipe her face and blow her nose.

For a long while, she simply sat there feeling sorry for herself, fully aware of the fact that doing so would accomplish no good, but unable to stop herself.

She whimpered in the corner there, her mind a jumble of thoughts and words, until her untouched tea had gone cold.

* * *

 **A/N: It's just not her week, poor Blake. We've all had days like this, right? When life's been dropping us and dropping us, then offers to help us back up, only to drop us harder. Sorry these chapters all keep ending on a hopeless note, but honestly, such is life sometimes, isn't it?**

 **But patience is a virtue. See you in chapter 5!**

 **If you like my work, you can support me on as Kiria Alice!**

 **Please review!**


	5. Ray Of Hope

**Sorry for the wait with updating this fic. I've had school and commissions to handle, but now I've got a bit more time to edit chapters and update this fic!**

 **Will Blake catch her break, finally?**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.**

* * *

Chapter 5. Ray Of Hope

As her alarm woke her the next morning, Blake wasn't sure how she should be feeling.

All last night, she'd been upset and brooding about the loss of her time together with Ruby.

She didn't understand _why_ she'd felt so crushed. After all, she kept reminding herself of all the _good_ aspects of what had happened – how Ruby had specifically asked and agreed to see her again today, which meant she was genuinely interested in Blake. She'd even said it herself, how she wanted to talk to Blake more.

If Ruby hadn't cared, she wouldn't have made an effort to agree to see Blake again today.

Plus, Blake reminded herself that just one fluke like yesterday wouldn't forever ruin her chances of getting to know Ruby.

After all, the brunette worked at the library, and Blake herself went there every day. There would be plenty of chances to meet again.

Blake could never really understand her overpowering negative emotions. All her life, it seemed to her that she reacted rather violently to anything bad, no matter how trivial. Just like how she'd panicked and cried and ran out on Ruby a few days ago, and now yesterday when she'd curled up in the cafe and sobbed to herself for no good reason.

She didn't understand her emotions or how they worked, and it had always been that way. Blake just did her best with it and kept trying to control herself as normally as possible.

Still, such a way of acting was a major source of embarrassment for her. Once in high school, she'd gotten a bad grade on an exam and had sat in her seat for twenty minutes trying not to cry, but in the end, the frustrations had won. She'd bawled like a child, uncontrollably and loudly, and her classmates had teased her for it for years to come.

She just wished she could be normal...

But regretting the past never did her any good, and she knew that.

So for now, Blake merely buried her face into her pillow to clear her face of tears and took deep breaths.

Today.

Things would finally go right today.

She had to believe that.

Fueled by the promise of seeing Ruby once more, she got herself out of bed, into the bathroom to shower, and into a change of nice clothes. She completed her morning chores around the house as designated by her parents' notes, had a quick breakfast, prepared her handbag of books, and was off.

It was another bright, warm day, where the breeze brought her scents of blossoming flowers and colors filled her vision. Blake wanted to let the scenery lift her heart, let it motivate her and let her believe today would be better.

 _But yesterday was a nice day just like this. And look how it ended up..._

Again, the negative thoughts came back to try and attack her. She bit her lip and shook her head, not wanting to think like that.

 _I'll see her again today and it'll be great,_ she told herself. _Please. I hope it's the truth..._

She didn't know what she'd do with herself if she ended up getting crushed again today...

Once the library was in sight, Blake quickened her pace a little. It was still hours before Ruby's lunch break, but she couldn't help but get excited, hopeful.

Blake was always cautious about that, because more often than not, she'd get her hopes up for other people, only to have them beaten down.

But she wanted to believe today would be better.

 _Please let it be better._

She slipped in through the doors of her second home, instantly blessed by the familiar scents of books and coffee. As always, it calmed her down, slowed her pulse, and lifted her ears.

She passed quietly by the cafe, but was surprised to hear a call of her name.

"Blake!"

It was Velvet.

As Coco and Canela tended to a line of customers, the other Faunus girl quickly scurried out from behind the counter, her face the very picture of concern.

Automatically, Blake felt her heart lurch, fearing bad news of some kind.

Velvet made it to her in no time, and Blake was about to ask.

"Velvet? What's-"

"Oh, Blake!"

Softly, Velvet wrapped her arms around her dear friend and pulled her in close.

Blake was surprised by the sudden display of affection. She'd known Velvet for years, and she was rarely this affectionate with even Coco, at least in public. The most she'd ever touched Blake before was to put a hand on hers by means of comfort if she were upset about something.

But this...

Blake stood there dumbfounded, breathing in Velvet's natural scent of coffee beans and sweet bread. She heard the older girl sigh, and gentle hands pet through Blake's hair and all down her back. Hesitantly, Blake placed her hands on Velvet's waist.

"Velvet?" She tried again, much more thinly. "Is everything okay? What's wrong? Please tell me." Her heart was pounding now. She was expecting to hear unfavorable news, something else to prove her positivity wrong.

But Velvet quickly pulled away and shook her head, her ears swaying.

"Oh, no, it's nothing bad, Blake. Please don't worry. It's just..." With another sigh, she pulled the dark-haired Faunus in again and lowered her voice so only Blake's cat ears could listen. "Yesterday... I saw you sitting there. I'm sorry for prying, but you looked so _hurt_. I couldn't bear it.

"I would've gone and sat down next to you, but Coco said that I wouldn't be of much help, being I was crying, too. I at least should have texted you that evening..."

Blake froze, feeling a swell of warmth rise up behind her eyes.

 _Velvet saw...? I mean, of course she did. How couldn't she when she works here? But she... she cried? For me?_

It seemed hard to believe.

But with the way Velvet was holding her tightly like this and whispering worriedly to her right now, Blake knew it was the truth.

Now, she hugged her friend back with gusto.

"Sorry..." Blake murmured. "You didn't need to see me like that, Velvet."

"Hey, now." Velvet pulled away again, and despite the emotions and tears in her eyes, she was smiling. "Don't you apologize, Blake. You shouldn't apologize because you felt a certain way about something. I'm just sorry I couldn't help you at the time. I don't know what happened, but whatever it was, I'm sorry you got hurt. I just hope everything will get better soon."

She brought Blake in closer one last time and simply held her.

Blake couldn't fathom why, but she herself started to cry softly as well. It was almost as if Velvet's emotions were contagious and Blake was affected by them as well.

For a moment, they both held one another and cried. And though it hurt a little, it felt good in a way, too.

But Blake couldn't let her friend keep worrying so much. She mustered up her resolve and took a step back to meet Velvet's eyes.

"Thank you for worrying about me, Velvet. But it's okay now. Yesterday, I was just upset because... well, plans got ruined. It was kind of a stupid reason, really. But today, things will be better. I can feel it."

Velvet looked her over, needing to make sure she was alright.

But other than Blake's cheeks being a little puffy, she really did seem to be okay now. Her golden eyes shone with determination – to do what, Velvet couldn't be quite certain just yet – her ears were lifted tall, and her lips formed a smile.

Slowly, Velvet gave a nod.

"Alright. I'm just glad you're okay, Blake. Sorry for bringing it up."

"No, please don't be," Blake murmured. "Thank you for worrying about me, Velvet."

At last, Velvet returned the smile.

"It's my job, you know," she chuckled. "I consider you my little sister, Blake. I'll always do my best to look out for you."

With that, she leaned closer and pressed a small kiss to Blake's temple. "I'm glad you're feeling better today. Whatever you're looking forward to, I hope it works out in the best way for you."

"Thanks, Velvet. Really."

With one last hug, they finally parted and went to their respective places.

As Blake sat down in her chair beneath the staircase, she realized she was feeling much better now, much more confident in herself and the day that awaited her.

* * *

After several hours of switching between books, Blake found herself once more indulged in the fairytales collection.

But she hadn't gotten too far in before she noticed the time from the large, vintage clock on the far wall. It was close to Ruby's lunch break.

Blake soon became too antsy to read, so she just did her best to look at the words on the pages. She tried to focus, straightening her back and steeling herself for what was to come.

It came a little sooner than expected.

The quick but soft flurry of footsteps down the stairs could only belong to someone rather light in weight and in a hurry for one reason or another. From the corner of her eye, Blake saw a familiar flash of red and-

"Miss!"

That giddy voice that made her heart whirl.

She put her book down into her lap and closed it over the marker, looking up to see a bright, eager smile. Silver met gold, and Blake's lips curled up, her ears perking happily.

"Ruby."

"Oooh, I'm sosososooo glad you're here! I mean, I knew you would be – you're _always_ here, right?" Ruby hurried forward and reached out in her excitement. She took both of Blake's hands in hers and gave a small tug to help her up.

It was a gesture of familiarity, one Blake hadn't been expecting so suddenly.

But she didn't resist as Ruby's soft hands covered her own and helped her to her feet. Blake blushed, hoping her palms weren't sweaty.

Ruby quickly seemed to notice the error in her ways and released her wrists.

"S-Sorry! I just got a little too excited and-"

"It's fine. Don't worry." Blake presented her with another shy smile. Ruby grinned in return.

"Okie-doki! I've got no surprise meetings today, I _promise!_ So are you ready to have lunch together, miss?"

"Of course." Blake was impressed with herself that she'd managed not to stammer.

She collected her book into her bag and slung it over her shoulder, then gave Ruby a nod. The smaller girl spun enthusiastically around on her heel and headed off towards the cafe.

Blake's longer stride had her matching the girl easily, and she stayed beside her as they walked.

Despite Ruby's evident eagerness, she flashed Blake a guilty look.

"I'm sorry about yesterday. For ditching you so suddenly, I mean. I was really sad to leave you..."

Blake swallowed, but she told the girl her true feelings.

"I was a little sad, too," she admitted.

Ruby sighed, then smiled.

"But that's over now! We'll make today better! Pinkie promise!" She paused in her step to hold out her smallest finger towards her.

Blake felt her heart jump again, her ears twitching in confusion. Slowly, she reached out and curled her own pinkie around Ruby's.

The younger girl beamed up at her with shining teeth.

"Alright! It's sealed! A promise is a promise!"

They were at the cafe in seconds, and Blake followed the girl through the same process as yesterday.

Velvet and Coco both appeared pleased to see that Blake and Ruby were getting a second chance at their little 'date', but neither said anything out loud this time. Blake guessed Velvet had given her girlfriend a stern talking-to indeed yesterday.

Ruby ordered her "usual" and Blake once again added a cup of tea onto the order. But once she took out her wallet to pay, Ruby promptly stopped her.

"No, no, please, miss! Let me make it up to you for ditching you yesterday."

"But, I-"

"Please! It's only two dollars!"

With Ruby begging with her eyes wide like that, Blake had to look away and she couldn't refuse.

So Ruby happily paid for Blake's tea and then grabbed her own tray of food. Blake pulled a napkin out of the dispenser and wrapped it around her tea cup before picking it up. She followed Ruby to the same table they'd been trying to sit at yesterday, only today, they actually succeeded in doing so.

They sat across from one another, and Blake kept her palms around her tea cup to give her hands something to do. Ruby sighed happily and began digging into her chocolate-chip muffin.

"Ahhh, it's so good~" she commented after she'd swallowed. "This cafe has the best snacks! I'm so lucky to work at the library!"

Blake gave a nervous nod of her head.

"Yeah. I really like their tea," she murmured. "A-And... thank you, by the way. For buying me the tea today."

Her gaze held Ruby's, and Blake felt her tongue go dry. The younger girl gave a dismissive wave of her hand and grinned before wiping a napkin over her mouth.

"Don't mention it! It was my treat!"

Blake felt herself starting to blush, and so she quickly took a sip of her tea.

In her haste, she forgot to blow on it, and ended up swallowing a stinging mouthful. She bit her lip, but thankfully Ruby hadn't seemed to notice.

Once she'd recovered from the heat, Blake took another breath.

"And not just for the tea," she went on. "I'd wanted to thank you for the past couple of days now... for saving my book for me. The first day I met you when I n... needed to leave in a hurry. You kept my fairytale book for me. So thank you..."

At last, she'd accomplished the feat she'd been meaning to for three days now. A sense of pride washed through her, and her ears lifted a bit with confidence.

Her comment seemed to remind Ruby of something.

"Oh!" she said. "You're so welcome! Actually, that's something I'd been wanting to talk to you about, miss! That fairytale book! It's actually one of my favorites!"

Blake's eyes widened in surprise.

"R-Really? It's one of my favorites, too. I love reading all the different versions of the same story. The interpretations are really interesting."

"I know, I know!" Ruby gasped. "Oh, oh! Do you have a favorite fairytale from that book?"

"Well... I really liked Beauty and the Beast for some reason."

"Ohhhh I _love_ that one!" Ruby squealed. "The girl was so humble! She only wanted a rose when all her sisters asked for extravagant things. And in the end, it didn't matter that the Beast was scary-looking. She loved him anyway!"

"Yes. It was a really nice story. I like it a lot."

Blake smiled. It was strange how quickly her nervousness had been dashed with the simple mention of books.

She'd thought this meal with Ruby would be painfully awkward, at least for herself.

But to find that Ruby enjoyed her books just as passionately as Blake did...

It made her heart swell with joy.

Ruby took a bite into her chocolate-chip cookie, then a sip of her milkshake before she went on rambling.

"I really like the tale of Little Red Riding Hood~"

"Oh!" Blake blurted, almost a little too loudly. She covered her mouth in embarrassment, but she'd just been so excited to hear Ruby's favorite tale. "I love that one," she said in a softer tone. "There were all different versions. I liked the one where she outsmarted the wolf and escaped."

"Yeah, she was really clever in that one!" Ruby grinned. "And there's the one where the Hunter saves her and gets her out of the wolf's belly. But I think my favorite was the version where Red and her sweet little old grandma trick the wolf and beat him! I found that so funny!"

"Me, too!" Blake chuckled. "In all the other versions, the grandma was so old and sickly, but in that one she was so devious."

"I know, right? I laughed when I first read it!"

"Me, too."

Blake didn't realize when the anxiety disappeared, but it happened.

As she continued to chat with Ruby about the fairytale book, Blake felt herself becoming more and more relaxed. Her posture softened, her legs stopped fidgeting, and her smile came easier. She found herself laughing out loud more than a few times as she got into discussing books that were familiar to Ruby as well.

Whenever she got a little too flustered, she'd take a sip of her tea, but for the most part, the conversations came with surprising ease.

There was a natural comfort she felt around Ruby once she'd gotten past the initial jitters and fear of her own feelings for the girl.

Ruby was just... a very kind, pleasant, optimistic person.

Blake hoped she could learn from her one day.

The two girls continued to discuss their favorite stories together for a time. Blake was certain she'd never felt happier in all her life. She was amazed that she was talking to the girl she had a crush on so naturally, and she wasn't tripping up over her words.

But it all seemed to come to an end too quickly as the last few minutes of Ruby's break neared.

By then, Ruby had finished her food and Blake's tea cup was empty. With a sigh, the brunette pushed back her chair and stood.

"Aw fooey. I've gotta get going soon." She picked up her tray and brought her garbage to the trash. Blake picked up her cup and followed to discard her napkin.

"I get it," she said. "I understand you have to go back to work. But... thank you for seeing me today, Ruby. I... had a really nice time." She tried to make eye contact, but the heat in her face ensured it wasn't long before she was finding great interest in the tiled floor.

Ruby gave a small chuckle.

"I had a really nice time, too, miss!"

Ruby offered out her hand to take Blake's tea cup. The Faunus girl shyly handed it to her, and their fingers brushed again.

As Ruby placed her tray and the cup on the counter and thanked Canela for taking them, Blake made sure to make one final point.

"U-Um... Ruby?"

"Yeah?" The younger girl turned to give her full attention to Blake.

"That's... It's just..." Suddenly, she was feeling overwhelmed again, but she tried to remind herself of not three minutes ago, when she'd been conversing with Ruby so effortlessly. "You um... you don't have to be so formal with me... if you don't want to. Just Blake is fine."

She blinked slowly, and when she next reopened her eyes, she found herself looking directly into Ruby's. The girl's face lit up so quickly and so brilliantly that Blake almost needed to take a step back.

"Really? Thank you, m- er, Blake! To tell you the truth, I was actually a bit jealous because Velvet and Coco and Canela always called you by your first name and I uh... I kinda wanted to also..."

This time, it was Ruby who blushed. Which consequently caused Blake to blush.

"Oh, um... yeah. I-It's fine, so you can call me by my name."

"Blake," Ruby said again, testing it out. "I like it! It's a super pretty name!"

Blake blushed harder still.

"And... I think Ruby is a pretty name, too..."

"Aww shucks~!" Ruby giggled coyly, and Blake needed to lean back against the counter to keep herself from swaying. But not a minute later, Ruby caught sight of the time again. "Oh, gotta go! Thanks again for having lunch with me, Blake!"

"You're... welcome..." she murmured. "I had a good time."

She wanted to ask her.

She only had a few seconds.

She needed to do it _now_ -

"A-And Ruby...?"

"Yeah?"

A pause, and Blake caught her breath.

"Um... if you'd like... I mean if you're not busy and it's no trouble, I could... sit with you again tomorrow. F-For lunch, I mean..."

Ears flat, she waited nervously for a response. She was honestly proud of herself for just asking.

To her elated relief, Ruby nodded.

"Yeah! I'd love to have lunch with you again tomorrow, Blake! There's still _soooo_ many books we need to talk about!"

Blake hoped this wasn't a dream.

"Really? O-Okay," she smiled. "Yeah. I'd love to do it again tomorrow."

"Then it's a date!" Ruby declared. "I'll see you tomorrow!"

Luckily for Blake, Ruby spun around then and headed off across the library to get back to her work, so she didn't see the Faunus girl nearly fall over at the word "date".

But clearly, someone had overheard.

"Well, well," Coco said from over the counter. "Nicely done, Belladonna."

"Coco!" Velvet tried to sound scolding, but it wasn't possible with how excited she was for her friend. "Congratulations, Blake! You did really well!"

"Th... Thanks..."

Blake gave the pair an airy smile and wished them a good afternoon. Too distracted to go back to her seat and read, Blake simply took her leave from the library and headed for home.

All the while, she felt as though she were soaring on a cloud, weightless and fuzzy inside with the memories of the successful day with Ruby behind her, and the promise of another to come before her.

* * *

 **A/N: Yay! Finally something good for poor Blake! Hopefully it continues going well!**

 **If you like my work, you can support me on as Kiria Alice!**

 **Please review!**


	6. Tomorrow's Promise

**Let's hope things keep going well for Blake!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.**

* * *

Chapter 6. Tomorrow's Promise

Of all the times in her life Blake had been depressed or downtrodden, or simply overwhelmed with negative emotions for no apparent reason, this was the first time she was experiencing the opposite so strongly.

The evening after her lunch date with Ruby, she'd very nearly been bouncing off the walls in her own way. She'd walked home with a spring in her step and a smile on her face.

When she'd passed Adam's house, he'd been in his yard trimming hedges and had sarcastically asked if she were sick. But Blake had happily ignored his playful sarcasm and stuck her tongue out at him before continuing on her way.

She'd eaten a hearty dinner that night and even dessert, and even her parents could tell something was different about her.

When her mother had asked her what had happened that day, Blake had merely responded with, "Something really nice."

And she'd been so enthralled with the memories of the day that she'd failed to read before bed that evening, as she typically did.

So she'd simply lain there on her bed, staring up at her dark violet ceiling with her hands curled on her chest and her ears contently tall, thinking of Ruby.

She woke the next morning in much the same position, though her loose hair was a little more frazzled and her eyes watered a bit. She reached up to rub them and slowly stretched herself out, feeling her shoulders pop.

With the promise of seeing Ruby again today on her mind, Blake rolled herself out of bed with her heart feeling lighter than ever before. She cleaned herself up and dressed nicely, choosing a weather-appropriate skirt this time around in addition to a purple blouse. She did her chores but skipped breakfast this time, intending to eat at the cafe and perhaps talk to Velvet as she did so.

After grabbing her bag, she was off, and the smile never once left her lips.

* * *

She'd known Velvet for several years now, and Blake had always known her as a polite, reserved girl who took her work very seriously.

And though Coco was good at often rustling her girlfriend's feathers or surprising her with little kisses and making her blush, Velvet tended to keep to her disposition very well. Blake had seen her get angry a few times, but it was never hurtful anger, just light chiding and disapproval.

In the past, they'd exchanged phone numbers somewhere along the lines, and sometimes when Blake needed advice or someone to lean on, she would send her a text.

But in all those years, never before had she seen Velvet Scarlatina like _this_.

As soon as Blake had walked into the cafe and quietly asked for Velvet to hear her out, the older Faunus had immediately hurried from behind the counter and grasped Blake's hands, begging to know how everything had gone yesterday.

And Blake shyly told her with a blush on her cheeks all the while.

"Things went... really nicely," she said. "And I think... we're going to do it again today."

And Velvet actually squealed. With shining eyes and an exuberant smile, she pulled Blake into a big hug.

"Oh, Blake! That's brilliant! I'm so happy for you!" Then, she lowered her voice a bit and whispered into the girl's Faunus ear. "I could tell you really like her."

Blake stiffened, but nodded slightly. Velvet giggled and patted her back before pulling away.

"And don't worry! I'll keep Coco in line. She won't pester you, at least not when you'll be aware..."

Blake smiled and thanked her, then headed up to the counter to place an order for her breakfast.

Once she'd paid and thanked the girls once more, she took her tray of a blueberry muffin, a tuna sandwich, a cup of tea, and some napkins over to a table to eat.

As she enjoyed her meal, she kept a book open on her table and read pleasantly to herself, still internally bubbling with excitement about yesterday, and what would come again today.

After she'd finished and returned the tray, she was off to the library for her usual routine.

Blake scoured the aisles for a bit, looking through the new releases and finding a few that caught her eye. She checked out two books at the desk, then retreated to her spot to relax.

Blake had always been a girl who liked her routine and keeping to it. She didn't like change very much, even though she recognized that sometimes it was necessary.

It had only been one day since she'd successfully had lunch with Ruby, and yesterday she'd been so _ecstatic_ about it.

And yet somehow, today it already felt like a part of her routine.

Not to mean she wasn't _still_ thrilled about it – she very much was.

But Blake really liked the fact that this addition to her schedule had slipped in so smoothly, so comfortably that she'd hardly even noticed the change.

It felt so natural somehow, to be expecting Ruby, and to know she'd see her soon. It didn't feel like an intrusion or an inconvenience, but rather a very welcome addition.

As she read that morning, she found she wasn't distracted in her reading either, though the promise of seeing Ruby again clung constantly to the back of her excited mind.

She ended up putting her books away at noon, even though she knew there were still thirty minutes before Ruby's break began. But she just needed to see her now.

Blake gathered her bag and stood, then headed for the staircase.

It was as rowdy as ever on the second floor, with the teenagers listening to their music and playing on the computers. Blake's ears flicked and swiveled as they adjusted to the sudden noise, wondering how any of them could ever hope to get work done like this.

 _But to each their own_ , she shrugged.

She spotted Yang first, where she was sitting at one of the tables with an open notebook in front of her, looking disheveled. Next to her was a girl with long white hair, who seemed to be trying to help the other. If Blake remembered correctly, Ruby had said her name was Weiss.

She hadn't meant to look at the pair for very long, but the blonde lifted her head just in time to catch Blake's eye. She grinned and then made a beckoning motion.

Blake paused, looking behind herself in case she'd meant the invitation for someone else. But there was no one else around, and when Blake met her lavender gaze again, Yang nodded.

Slowly, Blake crossed the space between them and dipped her head awkwardly.

"Hello. Um, can I-"

"Blake, right?" Yang said right away. The Faunus girl hesitated, then nodded.

"Yes... ah... and you're Yang?"

"You got it!" she said, showing her white teeth. "I'm sure she's told you already, but I'm Ruby's sister! And boy oh boy did she have a lot to say about you at dinner last night!"

Blake's heart leapt into her throat, and she reached down to grab the end of the table for support.

"Sh-She-"

"Oh yeah, she was goin' on and on about this nice Faunus girl she'd met at the library and how you guys chatted for hours about her favorite books 'n stuff. I've never been much of a reader myself-"

"In case you couldn't tell," muttered Weiss.

"Yeah, thanks, princess," Yang said, rolling her eyes playfully. "But anyway, I could never really get into those kinda things she likes. So lemme tell ya, she had a _blast_ yesterday with you 'cus she said she'd finally found a kindred spirit. So I just wanted to say thanks for humoring her and bein' her friend."

Her smile was earnest now, and the light in her eyes was truthful.

Blake was astounded. It had only been a few days since they'd known each other, and only _one_ day since Ruby had called Blake by name.

And yet... it sounded as though Ruby was enjoying their newfound relationship just as much as Blake herself was.

It was a very nice feeling indeed.

She couldn't think of what to say by means of response to Yang, so she simply nodded, hiding her face as she let her hair cover it a bit.

Yang then seemed to recall something else.

"Oh! And uh... yeah Ruby told me just how loud I was bein' the other day with my pals. I bet I disrupted your reading, huh? My bad. Sorry about all that."

"But don't worry," Weiss cut in. "That won't happen again. I've decided to tag along with her every day now to ensure she works on her summer homework like she's _supposed_ to. _I've_ already finished all of mine," she added, extra smugly.

Yang grumbled something under her breath that even Blake's ears didn't catch. But a moment later, the blonde girl had lifted her face again to address Blake.

"But yeah. I hope there's no hard feelings. And thanks again for bein' a pal to Ruby. It means a lot, trust me."

Again, Blake could only nod.

Weiss nudged her girlfriend in an effort to have her continue her work now. But just before Yang could, she caught sight of something behind Blake and smirked.

"Well, speak of the Little Red Riding Devil and she shall appear~"

Her short warning was all Blake got before she heard the excited patter of footsteps rushing up behind her.

"Blake!"

Never before had she ever heard anyone unrelated to her by blood speak her name so happily.

The Faunus girl turned around in surprise as Ruby scurried over to her, looking as florid and energetic as ever. Blake had almost been expecting the girl to jump at her and hug her, but Ruby must have remembered she was still working right now, and that she and Blake had only just met not too long ago.

Ruby came skidding to a halt a few feet away from Blake and presented her with that trademark beaming smile.

The Faunus girl found herself wishing she'd gone through with the hug, after all.

Nonetheless, she smiled back at Ruby, a bit embarrassed now that the girl's older sister was watching them.

"Good morning, Ruby," she said softly. "Or, actually it's afternoon now, I guess," she corrected herself after glancing at the clock.

"Yup!" Ruby said. "I've still got some time before lunch break, but it's so nice to see you already! Did you have a good morning?"

Blake's cheeks were so warm the heat was spreading to her Faunus ears. She nodded quickly, and couldn't keep the smile off her face.

"Yes. I had a very nice morning. Um..." She trailed off, not knowing what more to say.

But she knew she should probably get away from Yang; Blake knew the older sister would easily be able to discern that she had a huge crush on Ruby, and Blake didn't want to set the blonde off and make her angry. With how jittery Blake was behaving right now, she feared the blonde girl already had suspicions, and she wanted to get away.

Luckily for her, Ruby offered the perfect solution to her unspoken dilemma.

"Well, since you came all the way up here, how's about I give you a tour? I mean, I know you've been coming here like _every_ day since forever and stuff, but I don't see you up here much, and we've remodeled a few things! So whaddaya say?"

Had Ruby been a Faunus, Blake would've imagined her as a dog like Canela, with a big fluffy tail wagging eagerly.

Blake never would have forgiven herself if she'd refused this offer.

"Sure. I'd love to."

Ruby bounced and clapped her hands.

"Yaaaay! Okay, come on, come on lemme show yooou!"

She reached out and took Blake's hands in hers.

With the condition of her skin being extra sensitive, Blake jolted a little bit at the contact. The Faunus girl probably would've been alarmed had it been anyone other than Adam, Velvet, or Ruby.

But she _was_ a bit more nervous with the latter person than she was with either of the formers.

She followed along behind her bubbly companion as Ruby led her around the second floor on a grand tour. She'd been right in saying how Blake hadn't been here since the updates, so the dark-haired girl did her best to focus on Ruby's words rather than her warm, soft hands.

Blake appreciated contact in moderation, especially with her skin being hypersensitive to the extreme elements. But Ruby's palms were just the perfect kind of warmth she needed.

Ruby led her around the aisles, telling Blake which sections had been revised or what new features had been added. Blake listened happily as she was swept along into Ruby's undertow.

Normally, just being around or listening to overly-zealous people would wear Blake out quickly. But with Ruby, that never seemed to happen, even when Blake herself was participating.

Ruby talked quickly but softly, being mindful of the patrons.

"And we've got some new shelves over here – I think they're like mahogany or something like that? I really can't remember. But we got an extra cushioned chair in the corner over there by the history section. Oh! And we rearranged the books back there! I did most of that, actually. I think it looks pretty good, if I do say so myself! And I also did the arrangement of the magazines over by the research section. Oh, oh! And-"

Blake just kept nodding, genuinely enjoying the girl's merriment. Something told her Ruby didn't go around giving just _any_ patron the grand tour and talking excitedly like this.

She felt... special.

And Blake thoroughly enjoyed every second of it.

Somewhere along the lines, Ruby had let go of one of Blake's hands so she could walk more easily, but she was still holding onto the other. Blake had just been mustering up the courage to squeeze back when Ruby came to a sudden halt.

"Oh!"

She released Blake's hand, just as she'd been curling her fingers to touch Ruby's. Blake took a fast step back, hoping she hadn't crossed a line.

"S-Sorry, I-"

"It's lunch time!" Ruby said, clearly not having noticed Blake's problem with herself. But at the very least, that told the Faunus girl that she hadn't upset the brunette.

As she turned her head to seek out the clock on the wall, she noticed it was indeed 12:30.

 _Wow... Time really does fly when you're having fun, I guess._

Ruby gave an excited twirl on her heels, then face Blake again.

"You ready for lunch? I sure am! Come on, Blake!"

The ease with which Ruby took her hand once more made Blake's heart flutter all over again.

She followed the girl down the stairs, keeping close to her so there wouldn't be a strain on her arm.

All the way to the cafe, Ruby held her hand. Only when they got on line did she let Blake go and seem to realize what she'd been doing for the past thirty minutes.

"Oh, gosh! I didn't even notice! I'm sorry!" she piped.

Blake shook her head quickly.

"No, it's fine. I don't mind..."

"Really? You're sure? Oh good." With a sigh of relief, Ruby took a breath to compose herself again, straightening her back and taking on her 'worker' posture again. "Sorry. Sometimes I just get so excited and I get carried away! I was just so happy to see you!"

"I was, too," Blake murmured. She then nodded to the counter. "Looks like it's your turn."

"Oh! Right!"

Ruby turned around and ordered her usual, and Blake ordered a cup of tea as well.

As the Faunus girl scrambled to get her wallet from her bag, Ruby accepted the warm tea cup from Velvet.

"Here you go!" she said, holding it out to Blake with a grin.

The Faunus girl paused and put her money on the counter. She made sure to grab a few napkins from the dispenser first before taking the cup from Ruby.

"Thank you."

She could see it in the girl's silver eyes that Ruby was wondering why Blake always needed a napkin around her tea cup, but she didn't ask.

Blake was a little relieved that she hadn't, because she wouldn't have known how to explain her condition very well on such short notice.

They thanked the girls behind the counter and then took their respective meals to the corner table where they'd sat together yesterday.

And then it was like living a dream all over again.

They just talked – about books and movie adaptions and stories.

They talked about fantasy worlds and mythical creatures, urban legends and cautionary tales, then more contemporary stories.

They lost themselves in the conversations about the books they loved, conversations they'd never been able to have with other people before.

These little talks were unique to just the two of them.

They asked each other questions, gave heartfelt answers, dove into in-depth discussions and talked about theories.

At one point, Blake went on a tangent about one of her favorite book series and ran into an issue she'd never encountered before: she couldn't stop talking.

"I really love how the author portrays the main character," she was saying. "She really gives her life, and I feel like I'm transported into that world. I wish I could write like that."

"Ohhh yeah I love her work, too! I know what you mean!" Ruby agreed as she took a bite of her cookie.

Blake leaned back in her seat and sighed.

"And her newest book is coming out soon, but I just know I'll never be able to find it on its release day. It's almost impossible..."

"Oooh!" Ruby lowered her voice and leaned in secretively. "Well, working with the library, I've got some... _connections_ , if you know what I mean," she winked. "I could probably nab you a copy before they hit the shelves."

Blake gasped audibly.

"Y-You... you mean it?"

"Yeah, I do!"

"Oh gosh, y-you don't have to-"

"Buuut you want me to, don't you, Blake?"

The Faunus girl sighed and nodded guiltily. Ruby chuckled.

"Then of course I will! Piece of cake! Don't worry about it! It's my pleasure! I just kinda wish I could find one of my favorite old series. It was this collection of suuuper duper old folktales, but I've never seen it in the library or in stores."

As Blake recovered from the prospect of her exciting, secret book deal with Ruby, her ears perked up with interest.

"That... wouldn't happen to be called _The Wolf's Tales,_ would it?"

Ruby nearly spat out her milkshake.

"You- You know about it? Oh my gosh, I've never met _anyone_ else who knew about it!"

"And," Blake said. "I know where you can read it online."

"NO WAY!" Ruby blurted out in disbelief.

Blake laughed lightly at her reaction.

"Yes, actually. I stumbled upon it a while back. The name of the site escapes me at the moment, but I have it bookmarked. I'll write it down and bring it to you tomorrow, okay?"

Ruby rocked back and forth in her chair in anticipation.

"Ohhh gosh, oh gosh, actually do you think it'd be okay if you texted it to me tonight? I'll give you my number!"

Blake froze, and her heartbeat took off again.

"Um... sure. I can do that."

"Really? Thank you sosososooo muuch! Here!"

Ruby pulled out her cell phone, which had a red strawberry designed case on it. Blake took out hers in its black cat case as well.

Ruby shared her number, and the Faunus girl did her best not to miss the keys with how much her fingers were shaking. Eventually, she ended up saving Ruby's number, and even tapped the little star to favorite her.

Once finished, Ruby gave another bounce in her seat.

"You got it? Okay, now just text me so I can get your number, too!"

Biting her lip, Blake nodded.

She sent a simple message of: _**Hi, it's Blake.**_

Ruby's phone buzzed a second later as she received it, then happily saved Blake's number.

Blake wondered if Ruby had starred her name as well...

By then, it was nearly 1:30, as Ruby soon noted.

"I'll clean our stuff up. Lemme take your cup, too!"

"Oh, th-thank you."

Ruby nodded, still smiling widely as she hurried off to throw out the trash and return the tray and tea cup.

Blake stood up in the meantime and stretched her arms and legs. Rather than feeling tired after a long conversation as she would with most people, now Blake felt refreshed.

She caught Velvet's gaze from behind the counter, and the rabbit Faunus winked and smiled at her as she took the tray from Ruby. Blake blushed and turned away, knowing Coco would get a kick out of all this.

Ruby returned to her before long and sighed happily.

"That might've been even more fun than yesterday! Thank you, Blake!"

"I should thank you, too," she replied. "And I'll text you that site later. I promise."

"Thank yooouu!" Ruby squealed and clapped, then stilled herself. "Oh ah, I just... I mean Yang told me always to ask first so um..." She looked up at Blake shyly, shuffling her shoes now. "Blake... c-could I maybe... hug you?"

She was taken aback by the request. Blake only ever got or gave hugs to her parents or Velvet.

But her _crush_...?

She hesitated, and her ears drooped. She saw Ruby's expression change, and the girl's smile faded.

"Never mind! Sorry, it was a weird thing to ask. Don't worry about it!"

"No, I..." Blake put a hand to her chest to find her heart was pounding again. "I... I mean... maybe... not just yet," she sighed. "I just need... some time."

Ruby nodded right away.

"No, yeah I get it! I _totally_ understand, okay?"

Blake smiled sadly.

"Tomorrow," she said. "I can try... tomorrow. Promise."

"Yeah, sure!" Ruby agreed. "And only if you feel like it, okay? We don't have to!"

"Thank you, Ruby. I want to... to try..."

Ruby clasped her hands together happily.

"Okay! Then I'll see you tomorrow, Blake!"

"See you tomorrow."

With one last smile at her, Ruby was off back to work.

Blake needed to sit again to calm herself down a bit.

 _Tomorrow..._

She was already looking forward to it.

* * *

 **A/N: On top of her skin condition and tendencies to think negatively, Blake's a very shy introvert and she's not at all used to being around extroverts or physical contact. But she's doing her best for Ruby!** **I hope I'm writing this kind of character accurately. Please let me know!**

 **And just a small note, I'd written this long before canon revealed Adam's personality, so in this fic, he's not a bad guy, just a nice neighbor of Blake's.**

 **If you like my work, you can support me on as Kiria Alice!**

 **Please review!**


	7. Hot Tea And Resolve

**Here's the monthly update! Thanks for the support!**

 **If you'd like earlier access to chapters and the ability to make requests and receive reward fics from me, please consider pledging to m on P-a-t-r-e-o-n at the name Kiria Alice! I'd really appreciate the support!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.**

* * *

Chapter 7. Hot Tea And Resolve

This morning went much the same as yesterday morning had, for Blake.

She got out of bed quickly and darted around the house at an excited pace before heading out into the sunny world. It was slightly overcast, but that didn't sour her mood, not today.

Not with the prospect of her first hug with Ruby on her mind.

She was nothing short of giddy as she strolled her way towards the library.

Her mind was still full of thoughts of yesterday and the day before, their two consecutive lunch dates. And last night, she'd somehow mustered up the courage to text Ruby the name of the website she'd been searching for.

Blake could still vividly remember how much her hands had been shaking as she'd typed and sent that message, even though Ruby hadn't physically been there with her, seeing or listening to her.

But the response from the girl had been instantaneous, and even though it was only in text format, Blake could sense her enthusiasm in the bolded " **THANK YOU SO MUCH!** " she'd replied with.

Blake had sent her a simple "You're welcome!" but they hadn't texted beyond that. She'd assumed Ruby was all too busy last night looking up those old folktales after that.

But just the fact that they'd exchanged numbers and spoken to one another through text messages was a major step in Blake's intended direction.

Even so, she didn't want to get too ahead of herself. She still didn't know how Ruby felt about her, and it might take a while to receive that answer.

Even if Ruby just liked her as a friend, Blake would respect that and continue to enjoy spending time with her.

She arrived at the library and went straight to the cafe to order a cup of tea to calm the jitters inside her. As soon as Coco saw her, a grin appeared on the barista's face.

"Hey, Belladonna. So how'd the date go?"

Blake froze in her spot on the other side of the counter, and her ears drooped as heat rushed to her face.

"U-Um, I don't think it was-"

"Coco!"

Within seconds of her girlfriend's carelessly-loud comment, Velvet was on the scene to shush her. But as she turned to Blake and leaned over the counter with her ears standing tall, she asked the same question, just in a lowered tone.

"Well? How did it go?"

Blake flushed again.

"I... think it went well... She gave me her phone number and-"

"Hey, now!" Coco said in a congratulatory manner. "Got her number after just a few days of talkin' to her? Smooth, Belladonna, smooth."

"That is very impressive, Blake!" Velvet agreed.

"Not really... it was just to text her a website..."

"But now that she's given it to you, you can keep her number and message her whenever you'd like!" Velvet pointed out.

"...You think so?"

"Absolutely! You see, if she hadn't _wanted_ to give you her number, she definitely wouldn't have. She would've just asked you to write the name of the website down on a piece of paper and bring it in the next day, right? But if she _specifically_ asked you for your number or wanted to give you hers, then you're on the right track, Blake! So keep at it!"

Velvet made a triumphant fist and smiled at her friend.

Blake was feeling incredibly self-conscious now, so she just gave a quick nod.

"Can I... have the usual, please?"

"Of course."

Sensing that Blake was getting overwhelmed, Velvet happily took a step back and pulled Coco along with her.

Blake shuffled her feet as she waited, pulling out her wallet when Velvet returned with her tea. She paid, and quietly thanked Velvet for her support. The older girl reached out across the counter to take one of Blake's hands, and spoke in a hushed, earnest voice to her.

"If you ever need anything, even if you just need to talk off some of the nerves or something, just text or call me, alright? I'll always answer for you, Blake."

Her blush remained as she nodded.

At that point, Coco slid in beside her girlfriend and pouted.

"Good for you," she said to Blake. "Velvs ignores my texts half the time."

"Only because they're pictures of clothes you want to dress me in!"

"Aw, but you've gotta admit you'd look great if you just tried some of them on."

Velvet heaved a sigh and released Blake's hand, sending her one last smile and a wink for good luck before shooing Coco back a pace.

Despite her shyness, Blake smiled at the two girls' playful bantering. Three years ago, she never would have suspected she'd ever be close enough to them to be included in their conversations or addressed with comfortable informality.

Blake felt so unexplainably happy about that. It put a warm feeling in her chest.

She focused on that feeling so much, that as she reached for her tea, she forgot to pull out a napkin to wrap the cup in first. Upon contact with the outside of the cup, her sensitive fingertips were instantly assaulted by extreme heat.

"Ow, _ow_ -!" Recoiling, she stepped away and hissed, clutching her hands to her chest.

The sudden sound alerted Velvet and Coco, and they hurried back over to her.

"Blake?" Velvet cried. "Are you alright? Did you hurt yourself?"

"No..." she got out past grit teeth. "It's alright..."

Velvet clearly didn't buy it.

"Coco, please get her some ice."

"No, really-" Blake said quickly. "It's fine... I'm fine." Slowly, she withdrew her hand from her chest and sighed, trying to channel out the pain on the exhale.

Velvet looked her over with worried eyes, and even Coco wore a stern expression now. Blake plastered on a smile for them, grabbed a few napkins, and picked up her cup.

"Thanks, you guys. Don't worry."

The pair watched her go in silence, though Velvet clearly wanted to chase after her. Coco put a reassuring hand on her shoulder and gave her a quick kiss to calm her down.

Blake left the cafe behind, still feeling the heat wafting from her injured fingers.

She'd had a hypersensitivity to extreme temperatures her entire life, but had grown cautious enough over the years to ensure she'd avoid such things at all costs. Her doctors had told her parents it was a kind of skin condition, and though she'd been given many shots and medications, nothing seemed to help.

But Blake tended to take care of herself well enough nowadays. She hadn't had a slip-up like that in months.

Velvet didn't know about her condition, and Blake had never found the right time or reason to tell her. She was too embarrassed.

Even now, the cup in her hands radiated heat past the layers of napkins. She hurried to her space beneath the stairs so she could put the cup down on the little wooden table there.

With a sigh, Blake pulled her hands back up to her chest once more, then sat down in her chair. Eyes closed, she controlled her breathing, trying not to focus on the stinging in her fingertips.

She peeked down at them to discover all five of her right hand's fingers were red at the pads. She closed her eyes again, hunching over herself slightly as she breathed through her nose.

 _It's fine. It's not that bad. It's fine..._

She'd been so focused on trying to calm herself down that her ears hadn't picked up on the familiar flurry of footsteps running down the steps.

Ruby had been so excited this morning, so gleeful about finding the old stories last night thanks to Blake's help. She'd made sure to complete all of her morning work short of helping patrons navigate the websites – after she saw Blake, she'd come right back up to do that.

But for now, she hopped off the final step and turned on her heel to direct herself towards the love seat where she knew her new friend would be sitting. She was so excited to see Blake that she called out to her before her mind registered the situation.

"Blake! Thank you so much for-"

As she skipped over to the Faunus girl in the chair, Ruby got her first good look at her friend. She came to a fast halt and gasped, horrified.

"B-Blake, what happened? Are you okay? Should I call 9-1-1?" Fretfully, she knelt down in front of her, hands fumbling and not knowing what to do. A sense of dread and fear trickled down her spine and made her stomach twist.

Blake was clearly shocked to see her and hadn't been expecting it so suddenly. With a small gasp, the Faunus girl looked up at her, hands still clutched to her chest, shaking and on the verge of tears.

"R...Ruby?"

"Blake!" Ruby kept her voice to a low whisper, doing her best not to make a scene right now. But if Blake needed help, she'd shout at the top of her lungs. Worried silver eyes searched guilty gold, and Ruby dared to place her hands on the other girl's knees. "What's wrong, Blake? What happened?"

Blake quickly tried to get control over herself and dropped her hands to her lap.

"I-I'm okay," she whispered. "I just burnt my hand on the tea cup, that's all. See?" She revealed her right hand, where her fingertips were still a bit red.

Ruby stared for a second, then slumped off her knees to the floor.

"Oh geez..." she sighed. "I-I'd thought you were having an asthma attack or something the way you were holding your chest like that."

Blake's ears drooped guiltily.

"I'm sorry. I didn't-"

"No, gosh don't be sorry!" Ruby said quickly. "I'm just glad it wasn't anything serious, like with your heart or something! But do you want ice for your hand?"

Once she realized Blake wasn't seriously hurt, Ruby started to calm down a bit. She pushed herself up to her feet, ready to fetch some ice if Blake needed her to.

But Blake did her best to smile reassurance to her.

"It's alright. Please don't worry about it, Ruby."

Ruby definitely looked like she wanted to worry more, but she didn't want to put Blake under pressure and make a scene when it wasn't necessary. Blake could tell the girl wanted to do something for her, so the Faunus girl offered a solution.

"Ruby..."

Slowly, Blake got to her feet, and didn't sway for once.

The brunette looked up at her quickly.

"Yes? What is it?"

With a sigh, Blake tried out another smile, a real one this time.

"Maybe... we could try that hug now... if you'd like..."

The library worker perked up, her eyes lighting up like stars in the sky. Knowing that Blake was all right now, Ruby was more than eager to oblige her.

"Yeah!" she said softly. "I mean, if you're okay with it!"

Blake hadn't been all that sure before, but now, after what had just happened, she'd made up her mind.

"Yes. I think I could... use it right now..."

The last person she'd hugged who wasn't related to her had been Velvet, and they'd became friends shortly afterward. Ruby would be the first new person to make significant contact with her in years.

And Blake didn't care if the secretaries or some of the other patrons saw.

She just... really needed a hug right now.

From _Ruby_.

Readily, Ruby opened her arms and took a step up, her gaze holding Blake's. Though a bit awkwardly, the Faunus girl lifted her arms as well, welcoming her.

Taking the cue, Ruby closed the distance between them and hugged her at long last.

Soft arms wrapped around her back and torso, locking gently beneath Blake's arms. Ruby pressed herself close, straining up onto her tiptoes a bit. She rested her head against the dark-haired girl's shoulder with a sigh.

"I'm so glad you're okay..."

Blake sniffled once, then steeled herself to return the embrace. Slowly, she slipped her arms around Ruby's back and shoulders, keeping her near.

She was... so warm.

Blake had never felt this way with one of Velvet's hugs before. Whenever she or her parents hugged Blake, it was usually for congratulatory or comforting purposes.

But with Ruby... this was just...

It felt so _natural_.

It felt better than all the others, because with those, Blake always seemed to be the one receiving something from the contact.

But for the first time now, she felt she was giving just as much as she was getting.

The effect Ruby's embrace had on Blake was identical to the effect Blake's had on Ruby. It was mutually beneficial, and Blake didn't feel as though she were leeching off of the other person without giving back.

She didn't want to let go.

Ruby curled against her friend, wanting to make sure she was alright. She could feel Blake's pulse a little, and it was fast against her chest. Ruby really hoped she was okay.

In truth, Blake felt so much better now, just having Ruby so close. She wasn't even nervous or shy about it anymore.

Ruby wasn't just her crush anymore – she was a friend.

That worried her a little, just because she didn't know if there was a line she wasn't allowed to cross. But she'd worry about that some other time.

Their hug lasted for a moment, until Blake remembered Ruby was still technically working. She forced herself to pull away and meet the girl's eyes.

"Sorry. I shouldn't be doing this when you're at work," she said. "But... thank you, Ruby. I really needed that. Thank you."

Ruby nodded, her smile small, but genuine.

"I'm glad I could help. And that hug was also to say thanks for giving me the name of the website! I was reading those old stories all last night! It really brought back some memories."

Blake smiled as well.

"I'm glad you had fun. Can you tell me more about it at lunch?" She wanted to hear Ruby gush some more with that gleam in her eyes.

The girl gave a bounce and nodded enthusiastically.

"Yeah, sure!" She took a step back, then looked Blake over once more. "You're sure your hand is okay?"

"Yes. It's fine. Thank you for... for worrying..."

"Of course I'll worry!" Ruby said. "If you ever need help or you get hurt, just call for me, okay? I mean it!" She was so earnest about it, her lips set in a firm line, her eyes serious.

Blake blushed and nodded.

"I-I'll try. And you can... do the same for me, okay?"

Ruby blinked at her, then nodded.

"Okay." With that she took a step back. "I'll see you in a few hours, Blake!"

And then she turned and darted back up the stairs to return to her tasks.

Blake stood there for a moment, not minding the rest of the world. Her heart wasn't beating so roughly anymore. This was nothing like the first time she'd met Ruby and her body had reacted so strongly. Her emotions had seemed to settle a bit since then.

She'd undoubtedly gotten more comfortable around Ruby, and the girl had become comfortable enough around Blake to give her her number and offer physical contact.

It hadn't been long since they'd met and started talking, but Blake felt as though things were going... exceptionally well, in her opinion, anyway. The stifling nervousness was gradually ebbing away, being replaced by a pleasant warmth.

Their bud of friendship was blossoming slowly into a flower.

But Blake was scared now that she'd hurt Ruby if she confessed her real feelings for her. She didn't want to admit her crush and then risk severing the ties of their friendship bond.

Thinking about it made her swallow, and she sat back down in her chair.

But she couldn't let her emotions run wild again, not here...

Blake reached for her tea cup, which was lukewarm by now and didn't hurt her hands. She took a few sips, and the warm liquid seemed to curl around her frantic heart and slow it down a bit.

 _I shouldn't worry about all of that now. I should just... just let things happen. And I'll deal with those issues when they come up. As soon as there's a good reason to, I'll tell her._

She thought as much, but thinking about something and actually doing it were two very different things.

She was still scared about all of this, but she didn't _want_ to be. She didn't _want_ to keep being a victim to her negative emotions. She wanted to look on the bright side and enjoy her newfound friendship with Ruby to the fullest.

That journey would start within herself.

Blake finished her tea, then put the napkins and cup aside.

She was resolved.

From this day forward, she would do her best to think calmly and clearly around Ruby, to treasure their friendship and to learn and grow from it. She wanted to better herself, and she believed Ruby could help her do that.

Blake slipped her bag off her shoulder and opened it, then took out one of her books.

She started to read and relax, more eager than ever now for the hours to pass and for the clock to strike half past noon.

* * *

 **A/N: Here's her turning point! The first step to solving a problem is admitting you have one, right? So Blake's going to do her best to better herself, with Ruby's help and for her sake!**

 **If you like my work, you can support me o** **n** **P-a-t-r-e-o-n** **as Kiria Alice!**

 **Please review!**


	8. Sharing Secrets

**Monthly update! Thanks for keeping up!**

 **If you like my work and would like access to chapters earlier than anyone else, please support me on P-a-t-r-e-o-n as Kiria Alice!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.**

* * *

Chapter 8. Sharing Secrets

Ruby sighed as she hurried back to the stairs and left Blake for the moment.

It wouldn't be long before her lunch break came around and she'd get to see her again, but she was still worried about the Faunus girl. She'd never seen Blake in pain like that before, and it made Ruby's stomach flip just to think about it again.

 _I'll make sure to ask her if she's alright again later._

She returned to the second floor, her work domain, and after taking a few deep breaths to calm herself, got back into her work.

She patrolled the computer area at a respectable distance from the patrons, doing her best not to be intrusive if they seemed to be having trouble. Whenever someone had a question or started looking confused about something, Ruby would dart in and put on a smile to help.

Most often, people needed help with how to check out their books online or how to order a book this library didn't have from somewhere else. Ruby was a whiz at those things, and she was always eager to help people. She would also direct people to the correct sections of the library, be it upstairs or downstairs.

During the summertime, there were fewer projects that needed to be done for school, but there were always a few students who had summer homework or research to get done.

When she wasn't helping someone else, Ruby was rearranging disorganized books to the best of her abilities. She couldn't reach some of the higher shelves and she was scared of using the ladder, so for the books that were too far up, she left them for taller, braver employees.

If she'd successfully managed to complete all of those tasks, her job was to take the books from the Book Return bin and put them all back in their respective places. Then, it was back to patrolling again.

She'd gone through the cycle several times this morning before going down to see Blake, and now Ruby jumped back into it. She put on her biggest, most amiable smile for her patrons who asked her for assistance, and was quick to give instructions.

But now that she'd seen Blake, she couldn't stop worrying about what had happened to her.

 _She said she burnt her fingers. Probably on her tea. She wasn't seriously hurt, though._

She needed to keep reminding herself that much. Because whenever her mind pictured Blake hunched over in her chair in pain like that, Ruby felt sick.

She'd just finished helping a boy at his computer when she thought of it again and needed to walk back a few paces to clear her mind. She shook her head and patted her cheeks.

 _No, no! She's fine! I've gotta focus on work!_

She was trying to be subtle about all of this, but as she should've know, there was nothing that ever slipped past a big sister undetected.

Yang was sitting at one of the study tables as usual, and Weiss was beside her with an open encyclopedia before each of them. Yang had seen her little sister acting a bit off since she'd come back upstairs, but right now Ruby seemed downright distracted.

Yang slowly closed the book in front of her, eyes focused on her sister where she stood a few yards away, looking distressed. As soon as Weiss saw her close the book, her girlfriend scolded her.

"Yang, we're not finished yet. We've still got to do-"

"Hey, sorry..." Yang mumbled to. "But can this wait a sec, Weiss? Please." She leaned over and kissed the girl's cheek softly in apology for interrupting their studies.

Weiss could instantly sense that Yang wasn't just being lazy or acting bored this time. She turned around and spotted Ruby muttering to herself. Weiss bit her lip and looked back to Yang.

"Oh, no. You don't think-?"

"I'm not sure yet," Yang whispered. "But from what I could gather, Ruby really liked that Blake girl. I feel if she got rejected, she'd be hiding in the bathroom right now, not up here trying to work. So I don't think that's what happened."

Still, her sister appeared to be very conflicted at the moment, and Yang wasn't about to waste another second. She got up from her seat and noticed Weiss was about to do the same. But Yang gently pushed her back down and gave her a reassuring wink.

"It's alright. I got this."

As much as Yang could tell Weiss was concerned about Ruby as well, the white-haired girl nodded and stayed put.

Yang left the table and walked over to her sister where she was still patting the sides of her face, mumbling to herself.

"It's fine, she's fine, dummy! Just do your work!" She didn't even notice that Yang was approaching her until she felt a tap on her back. Ruby straightened up quickly and put on a grin. "Yes! How may I help-" She stopped as soon as she realized who it was. "Oh... Yang, hi! What's up?"

"I should be asking you that, sis. Here, why don't you come sit for a sec, hm?"

"But Yang, I'm still-"

"You've done plenty of work already. Don't sweat it, Rubes."

Yang took her hand and guided Ruby over to the table where Weiss was waiting for them. The white-haired girl promptly stood and gave up her seat so Ruby may sit there instead, with Weiss and Yang on either side. Yang kept a hand on her little sister's back, not knowing if she'd need it or not, but unwilling to risk it.

"What's up?" she asked, keeping her voice down. "Something happen with Blake?"

Ruby stiffened as Yang hit the nail on the head right away. She nodded.

"Yeah... kinda..."

She didn't see the worried look Weiss shot over her head at Yang, but Ruby did feel them both shift a little closer to her. Yang's hand slid up to Ruby's shoulder and rubbed a little bit.

"Did she hurt your feelings or something?"

From what Yang had seen of Blake, she'd seemed like a very nice, respectful girl who liked Ruby too, and she found it hard to believe that might've been what happened.

Luckily, Ruby's reaction said quite enough about that theory.

"No!" she gasped, straightening up instantly. "Nothing like that! Blake doesn't have a mean bone in her body! She's like, the nicest person ever!"

Yang relaxed a little bit in hearing her say that. It would've been a major disappointment to both Ruby and herself if her little sister's crush ended up having a temper or something like that.

It was Weiss who smiled and addressed Ruby from her other side next.

"That's good," she said. "But is something the matter, Ruby? You don't look well."

Ruby felt heat rise to her cheeks and she quickly shook her head again.

"N-No! I'm fine, don't worry! It's just... well..." She lowered her tone to ensure only they could hear her as she went on. "I think I told you guys how Blake texted me that website last night. That really cool one with some of my favorite stories on it? Well, I'd wanted to thank her in person today as soon as I could, so once I'd finished helping people up here, I went down to find her and she..."

Forced to remember the image again, she fell silent.

Yang and Weiss drew closer, and the former prompted her gently.

"What is it, Ruby? You can tell us. If something happened-"

"L-Like I said, it wasn't anything bad! At least not for me, really. She'd just burnt herself on her tea from the cafe. But I hadn't known that and all I saw was her holding her chest like she was in pain a-and I just got _really_ scared, Yang..." When Ruby lifted her face, there were tears in her eyes. "I-I just... I don't ever wanna see people hurt, especially not Blake..."

As her little sister revealed the truth of what had happened, Yang felt the tension in her own body melt away. It really hadn't been anything terrible, and Ruby was simply doing what she did best in worrying about the people she cared for.

Sighing, Yang moved over until her chair touched her sister's.

"Aw, Ruby... c'mere you." She opened her arms and pulled her sister in for a hug.

Ruby didn't refuse, throwing her arms around Yang's shoulders and whimpering into her shirt.

Yang caught Weiss' eye and smiled hopelessly. Her girlfriend sighed, and Yang knew she was thinking similar thoughts.

 _Ruby's such a good kid._

Weiss also moved closer to rest a hand on Ruby's shaking back and pat her gently, while Yang squeezed her tight.

"Hey, hey, it's okay, Ruby," she soothed. "Geez, you had me worried there for a while. I didn't know what to make of things. I can relate though, I think. That must've been scary for you to see her like that, huh? Reminds me of the time Weiss slipped and almost fell down the steps here..."

She shuddered to remember the incident, short-lived as it had been. Yang had only just barely managed to reach out and grab her wrist to pull her up to safety, and they'd both been shaken for a good while after that.

A flash in Weiss' eyes told Yang she'd remembered it too, and the blonde inclined her head. Weiss took the invitation and changed seats again, sitting down on Yang's other side and leaning into her. Yang put an arm around each girl and kissed both their heads, happy to have them both safe in her arms now.

"But it's okay now," she reminded all three of them. "Everything's fine. So don't worry, okay?"

Weiss sighed softly against her and Ruby nodded into her chest.

A moment later, her little sister pulled away and sniffled a bit.

"Yeah. You're right. It was scary at the time, but everyone's okay now! Thanks, Yang."

"Hey, don't worry about it. Any time you ever need anything, you just come find me, okay?" Ruby nodded, and Yang pulled her in for another forehead kiss. "Alright now," she said. "It's just about 12:30, so you should go take your break. Go see your friend, yeah? I'm sure she's dying to see you again, too."

Ruby stood up from her seat.

"Yeah, I will! I'm just gonna go wash my face off first. Thanks again, Yang!"

With one last hug, Ruby took off towards the bathrooms.

Yang watched her go with a smile, then shifted to pull Weiss in closer to her. Weiss could sense her girlfriend was still troubled by the memories of her close call on the stairs, and she nuzzled softly into the side of Yang's neck.

"Now don't forget to tell yourself what you just told her," she murmured. "I'm alright. I'm here right now."

Yang sighed and tightened her hold on the girl a bit.

"Yeah..."

"And besides," Weiss smiled. "Just think of that time as... the first time I fell for you...?"

"Oh my god-"

"You laughed just now, didn't you?"

"Weiss, that was _so bad_ -"

"But you laughed. Admit it."

"Come here, you."

Feeling immensely better now thanks to Weiss' attempt at a joke, Yang pressed a kiss to her lips.

And even though they were technically still supposed to be doing work, Weiss found she didn't mind kissing back this time.

Meanwhile, Ruby hurried off to the nearest bathroom and slipped inside. She pulled out some paper towels and wetted them with warm water, then proceeded to washed off her face. She blew her nose a few times before throwing away her trash and quickly checking her reflection. Taking a deep breath, she put on her usual smile before she was ready to go and see Blake again.

Once she was finished, she made quick work of getting downstairs and eagerly turned the corner at the bottom.

Blake was there in her seat as always, and this time, she was reading peacefully. She looked so absorbed in her books, and Ruby giggled a little bit; Blake was so focused on reading that she hadn't realized the time.

Ruby tiptoed over to her, though she didn't intend to spook her. She waited until Blake noticed her presence and hastily closed her book, her ears standing up tall.

"Ruby!" The way her lips instantly lit up with a smile made Ruby's chest feel warm. "Is it already time? I didn't even notice. I'm sorry."

"It's okay! You didn't make me wait or anything! I just got here, silly!"

As Blake packed up her books and slipped her bag's strap onto her shoulder, Ruby walked up to her and paused a few feet away. Her gaze flashed down to Blake's right hand.

"How are your fingers? Do they still hurt?"

Blake shook her head right away.

"Not at all. They'll just be a bit red for a few days, that's all. But I'm really fine now." Ruby met her pretty golden eyes as Blake maintained her smile. "Again... thank you for worrying about me."

"Of course I'm gonna worry!" she exclaimed. "You're my friend, Blake!"

Ruby couldn't quite discern Blake's reaction to that comment. She seemed both happy and a little nervous, but there also seemed to be a bit of sadness in her eyes. Ruby didn't know how to react to that, but for the most part, Blake seemed content, so she decided to worry about the rest later.

"Come on," she grinned. "Let's go have lunch!"

She was glad when Blake nodded, picked up her tea cup and napkins with her left hand, and followed along.

Ruby led the way across the library, past the little couches and fireplace where people were reading or talking quietly.

The cafe was a little busy today at this hour, so the pair waited on line patiently.

Ruby had been kind of nervous the first few times she'd done this with Blake, and she'd been able to tell Blake had felt the same way. But now, they were both very relaxed and happy, and Ruby was glad for that.

Once it was their turn, they greeted the three girls working and placed their orders as usual, and Blake returned her used tea cup. While Canela took the cup back to the kitchen to clean it, Coco prepared Ruby's milkshake and Blake's new tea while Velvet grabbed the food and laid it all out on a tray.

Smiles and kind, casual words were exchanged between all of them. Ruby and Blake both paid, and were about to head off.

Ruby then noticed Blake was reaching for the napkins dispenser again, likely to wrap them around her tea cup so she wouldn't aggravate her hurt fingers anymore.

"Oh!" Ruby said. "Here, let me."

She plucked out a few napkins and picked up the warm cup for herself, then fitted it into an empty spot on her tray. Looking up at Blake, she gave another wide smile.

"I'll carry it for you today!"

Blake was shocked at the offer, but also very flattered and grateful. Ruby had done that in such a way that she'd not only been polite, but she hadn't publicly made a fuss about Blake's hurt fingers.

And Blake was very thankful for that.

So she followed her bubbly companion to their usual table where they took their respective seats across from one another. Ruby put her tray down and reached for Blake's tea, then placed it on the table for her.

"Here ya go!"

"Thank you..."

The napkins were still coating the outside of the cup, but Blake didn't touch it just yet, still a bit nervous after this morning's accident.

Ruby began on her muffin and quickly kicked up a conversation.

"So I read one of those old stories last night on the website you gave me~"

Blake perked up.

"Which one?"

"The one with the girl in the donkey skin!"

"Oh, right. That's one version of Cinderella."

And they went off on their usual tangents as always.

They chatted away without a care in the world for half an hour, getting really into their discussion at some points. Ruby needed to consciously remind herself to keep her voice down and not get too excited.

She'd just finished slurping her milkshake when she realized Blake had yet to touch her tea. Cautiously, Ruby cleared her throat and took on a lower tone of voice.

"Blake? Er..."

She didn't want to embarrass her friend or remind Blake of her fingers, so Ruby quickly improvised. She took her big chocolate-chip cookie and broke it in half, then offered Blake a piece.

"Here. Wanna try some?"

Blake was very surprised at that. She'd only known Ruby for a short while, but she'd quickly picked up on the girl's eating habits. She always saved the cookie for last, and that told Blake it was her favorite. She felt touched to be getting offered a piece of Ruby's most beloved treat.

"Oh, um..." She didn't want to be rude, and her ears flicked awkwardly. "Well... you don't have to give me such a big piece. I know it's your favorite." Blake accepted the cookie half from Ruby, only to break it in half again, then gave one of those back to her. "There. And thank you."

Ruby's heart swelled with joy.

"No problem! I hope you like it!" She bit into her part of the cookie and gobbled it up.

Blake nipped more timidly at her piece, then reached for her tea at last.

Ruby watched her closely, ready to reach out and help if Blake's fingers still hurt her.

But the napkin barrier around the cup and the handle seemed to do their job now that the liquid had had some time to cool, and Blake lifted it to her lips without incident.

But the Faunus girl hadn't missed the anxious look Ruby had been wearing on her face all the while. She didn't like to talk about her condition very much, but she felt Ruby had a right to know now.

Once she'd finished drinking, she placed the cup down and fidgeted a bit, clasping her hands in her lap. She looked up at Ruby who gave a small smile, and Blake reflected it.

"You could probably guess," she began. "But I'm not good with extreme heat or cold. I have a condition... my skin gets affected really easily. Things that wouldn't hurt most people burn or freeze me very easily."

Ruby listened quietly, subdued. She was shocked that Blake was opening up to her about something so personal, and judging by Blake's tone and expression, it was a very delicate topic for her. Ruby was attentive as she listened when Blake went on.

"It's a little rough sometimes," she confessed. "I need to be extra careful during the wintertime, which is why I like coming out here in warmer months the most. And tea is my favorite, so I need to be cautious with that, too."

Her shoulders slumped and ears drooped a little bit as she leaned back in her chair, and her gaze went down to her hands in her lap.

Ruby was silent for a moment, thinking through what she wanted to say by means of response. She took a deep breath and did her best.

"Thanks... for telling me such a private thing," she said. "It makes me really happy that you could trust me with it, Blake! I promise I'll keep it a secret. Cross my heart!"

Blake flushed a little and dipped her head.

"T-Thanks, Ruby..."

"Of course!" With a determined look in her eye, Ruby reached her hands out across the table, palms upturned. "I'll do everything I can to help you out, okay? You can call me anytime if you need me, Blake! For anything!"

Blake's heart took off once again as she heard that promise and saw that genuine smile. Slowly, she moved her hands up above the table and laid them in Ruby's.

"You... You, too," she murmured. "You can call me... anytime. For anything, Ruby. I'll always try my best to help you if you need it."

Ruby squeezed her hands gently, rubbing the pads of her fingers over Blake's injured ones. Blake almost flinched, but soon realized the contact didn't hurt at all. Ruby's hands were so soft, and very warm.

Blake couldn't remember the last time she'd purred, but the ticklish sensation boiled to life in her chest at that moment, and her ears relaxed.

Ruby wiggled in her seat, happy to see Blake so content.

Then, she stood, keeping Blake's hands in hers as she maneuvered herself around the table to stand beside her Faunus friend. She helped Blake to her feet, and together they brought back the tray and cup, and threw away their garbage.

Blake checked the clock and it was already 1:25. With a sigh, she wished Ruby goodbye for today.

"Have a good afternoon," she smiled. "And... thank you, Ruby. For listening to me about everything. It was nice to tell someone I know I can trust."

"Thank _you_ for trusting me, Blake! And remember I'll always be there if you need me, okay?"

"I will. The same goes for you."

This time, Blake wasn't surprised at all when Ruby hugged her, and she actually hugged her back without hesitation.

She savored that moment, and something told her Ruby did as well.

Ruby could feel the happy little rumble in Blake's chest, and it made her giggle again.

When they finally parted, blushes coated both their faces, and smiles curled their lips. Ruby gave a shy little wave, and Blake returned the gesture.

Then, the brunette scurried away, feeling as gleeful as ever, her chest still tingling from that warm purr.

* * *

 **A/N: Things are looking up for our awkward little duo! Blake told Ruby about her condition and every little bit is progress!**

 **If you like my work and would like access to chapters earlier than anyone else, please support me on P-a-t-r-e-o-n as Kiria Alice!**

 **Please review!**


	9. Attempt To Confess

**I know updates for this fic are spaced out a lot, but please understand it is mainly a reward for my patrons on , hence it is typically only updated once a month!**

 **If you like my work and would like access to chapters earlier than anyone else, please support me on P-a-t-r-e-o-n as Kiria Alice!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.**

* * *

Chapter 9. Attempt To Confess

Ruby and Blake kept to their newfound schedule with one another.

Each day would start with Ruby going into the library at her usual early hour to get started on her tasks. Blake would come in a few hours later, visit the cafe, and start her reading during her alone time.

Some days, Ruby would find an excuse to go downstairs earlier than her lunch break for a moment so she could greet Blake earlier. Their conversations were always of whispered eagerness, voices low despite their wide smiles and excited heartbeats.

Even if Ruby couldn't get downstairs to see Blake early, she'd always be right on time for their usual lunchtime 'dates'.

The few times she had an employees' meeting during her break, she'd be sure to tell Blake in advance so as not to get her hopes up for their rendezvous that day. Whenever that was the case, Ruby would make sure to slip away downstairs for a moment and see her.

But the days of Ruby's absence were few and far between over the next few weeks. They'd spend their lunch hour gushing about new releases, or just talking about books or admirable authors as per usual.

They'd sit at their little cafe table with smiles on their faces, sometimes laughing so hard they needed to cover their mouths.

They'd always finish with a hug before parting for the day, but even after they went back to their respective homes, they would often text message one another.

After the first time of sending messages had passed, so too had the awkwardness of it.

Blake in particular was surprised when she consciously took note of how effortlessly she could speak to Ruby now, be it in person or otherwise. They'd even called a few times, mostly to talk about updates of online stories and things like that.

Blake noticed she'd become much happier in the last month or so since she'd met Ruby. Whether it was sunny or raining that morning when she got out of bed, whether she'd had a good morning or hit her head on a cabinet, whether she had a healthy appetite or none at all, she found everything always got better as soon as she walked into her beloved library where she knew Ruby to be waiting for her.

It was the same for Ruby. Her job demanded she wake up a little earlier than she might've liked to for the summer months. In the first few weeks on the job, she'd motivated herself with the promise of seeing new books and helping people; two of her favorite things. Add in the cookies and milkshake from the cafe, and it was easy to get her out the door long before her sister would follow.

But now her number one motivating factor was seeing Blake.

Even if she'd had a restless sleep or they'd ran out of strawberries to put on her morning toast, her day was always brightened when she bounded into the library, knowing Blake would be there soon.

Since they'd met, it had certainly changed them both for the better.

Their parents noticed how each girl became increasingly more talkative at suppertime, which was a great pleasure to Blake's parents in particular.

In Ruby's household, Yang knew what was making her little sister so peppy, but for the sake of Ruby's privacy didn't say anything to their parents yet. But she probably didn't have to.

Ruby talked about Blake in nearly every conversation, and the way her eyes sparkled and she always got a smile on her lips, Yang knew her parents could already guess how she felt.

For Blake's parents, it was a little different. Their daughter had never been in a relationship before, so none of them – not even Blake herself – really knew how she'd react. Blake knew that she liked Ruby, but she wasn't quite sure how obvious she was being.

Of course, to experienced people like Coco and Velvet, it had been obvious from the beginning. Sometimes, when Blake entered the cafe alone in the morning, Velvet would slip into a quick, private conversation with her, subtly asking how things were going and chiding Coco for her more blatant questions.

Blake also received a few texts from her fellow Faunus friend, which was Blake preferred form of communication since it didn't have the pressure of real-time conversation where she might to stammer.

Velvet knew better than anyone how deeply Blake's crush on Ruby ran, and she hoped from the bottom of her heart that all worked out well for them eventually.

If Velvet and Coco noticed Blake's situation, then Yang and Weiss noticed Ruby's.

Whenever she got a moment free of assisting patrons or organizing shelves, she'd sit with them at a study table and ramble away, usually about Blake.

Yang found the nice Faunus girl was almost all Ruby ever talked about anymore, be it at home or on the job. Weiss found it adorable to see her girlfriend's sister so deeply affectionate for the quiet girl below the staircase.

It hadn't taken her long to confess that she liked Blake.

"Like... really _really_ like her," she'd said, as though it'd needed clarification.

The two older girls had both smiled and nodded, informing her that they knew.

They gave Ruby tips for her interactions with Blake, not knowing that downstairs in the cafe, Velvet and Coco were doing the same for Blake.

Presently, Velvet was coaching her friend with an eager spark in her brown eyes.

"Blake, I think you should do it!" she said, leaning over the counter a bit.

Blake tilted her head at her and looked puzzled.

"Do what?"

Velvet softened her voice so only Blake could hear.

"You should tell her how you feel about her!"

Blake's immediate reaction was to swallow and take a tiny step back.

"Velvet... I can't."

"Why not?" Coco butted in. "You've been crushin' on her for a month now and I'd wager to say she likes you too, Blake."

Although her words had Blake's ears perking up hopefully, they soon drooped again.

"I don't think she likes me... like _that_ ," she mumbled. "Ruby gets excitable about almost anyone who can talk about books."

"Maybe so," Velvet agreed. "But she's never _stayed_ so excitable for so long with anyone other than you."

Blake had no response that time other than to look down at the floor. Velvet smiled and reached over the counter to pat her shoulder.

"It's alright, Blake. I'm not saying you need to confess today. Just... think about it, okay?"

Blake felt her chest get tight suddenly, and another surge of odd emotions pumped through her, until she felt tears welling up.

"But I... if I confess and she doesn't like me... it'll only get awkward between us and... I don't want to lose her..."

Velvet and Coco shared a troubled look. The latter spoke again, keeping her tone gentle.

"But think about how nice it'll be if she feels the same way," Coco prompted.

Blake always had difficulty considering the positives. In her experience, more often than not, things involving romances didn't work out, at least not for her.

But... perhaps that was because she'd never liked anyone quite so much as she liked Ruby now, and that affection was only growing stronger by the day.

By now, it was to the point where she was crying herself to sleep some nights because she liked her so much, but was too frightened to speak up about it.

Maybe Coco and Velvet were right.

Maybe it was time to do something nice for herself for a change.

Maybe it was time to be brave.

She took a deep breath, then let it out, and a moment later she lifted her head to her two companions.

"I'll... I'll try," she said. "Today."

Though they were both delighted, Velvet quickly reminded Blake, "You don't have to do it right away."

Blake shrugged her shoulders to straighten them up a bit.

"I know. But... I'm motivated now, and I want to do it before I can back down." She looked up at the clock on the wall. "I've got ten minutes to prepare myself."

Knowing she was resolved, the baristas put in their two cents.

"Alright," Velvet said. "But don't make it the first thing out of your mouth. Weave it into the conversation when it fits."

"And make sure she's listening," Coco added. "Don't want her spacing out over a book and not hearing you."

"And if you need anything – _anything_ at all – especially when it's over, just come find us," Velvet finished.

Blake gulped again, but gave a firm nod.

"Okay... I'll... I'll do my best."

Velvet leaned over the counter and pulled her friend into a partial-embrace.

"Best of luck, Blake."

"Go get her."

Blake nodded and thanked them.

As soon as Velvet released her, she headed back to her seat in the library, knowing that would be where Ruby came to look for her.

Upstairs, Ruby had just been getting some advice from her own wingwomen.

"You know she likes you, too," Weiss was saying in a reserved tone only the three of them could hear. "I mean, I don't know Blake well, but from what I can tell, she doesn't interact with very many people. But with you, she jumps at the chance to see you."

"I'll say," Yang agreed. "And since you like her too, maybe you might wanna think about saying something to her. Or if you don't confess right away, just... ask her out to lunch on one of your off-days or something!"

Ruby fidgeted in her seat.

"You make it sound so easy, Yang," she muttered. "Just because you started dating Weiss by asking her to lunch doesn't mean it works for everyone."

"I'd like to add," Weiss put in. "That it only just _barely_ even worked for her. But that's only because she took me to a fast-food place. If you _do_ end up asking Blake out, take her somewhere _nice_. For lunch or dinner, not for a 7AM breakfast of carbs and starch."

Yang chuckled sheepishly and counted her lucky stars that Weiss had accepted and returned her feelings even after their fiasco of a first date.

"Yeah," the blonde agreed. "Or you could even take her to a movie. You know all the kinda genres she likes based off what kinda books she enjoys, yeah? Again, you don't have to do it right away. Just think about it! Until then, just keep smilin' at her, because she definitely loves that. Trust me."

Ruby pondered her options for a moment. She was nervous about trying to confess to Blake, but her sister and Weiss had convinced her that Blake liked her too, so Ruby was feeling positive about things.

She didn't want to rush in, either. She'd try to do it naturally whenever the opportunity presented itself.

She was alerted to the time when her wrist watch gave a little _beep_. Ruby quickly turned it off and stood from the table, thanking the other two girls for their brief romantic advisement session.

Today, she'd brought a plastic baggie along to work with her, and she was sure to pick that up before hurrying off.

Normally around lunchtime, Yang and Weiss would leave the library for a date of their own, and then come back to walk Ruby home in the evening.

But today, Yang opted to have them stay here, in case things didn't go well with Blake, and her little sister needed someone to confide in. But she tried to think good thoughts and send positive vibes to Ruby. Weiss did the same.

Ruby left them at their study table and bounded down the stairs, fixing her clothes and hair a little bit as she went.

She found Blake in her cushioned chair as always, though was a little surprised to see that she wasn't reading. Maybe she'd just been expecting Ruby and had already packed up?

Ruby scurried over to her, wearing as bright a smile as ever.

"Hi, Blake! How's it going?"

Blake stood up right away, opening her arms invitingly as Ruby slipped into them, making sure not to bump Blake with the contents of her plastic bag.

"Hi, Ruby. I'm fine. How about you?"

"Super! Hungry and ready for lunch!"

"Then let's go get it."

They headed to the cafe. Blake kept flashing hesitant looks at Velvet as their order was prepared. The older Faunus merely encouraged Blake by means of multiple smiles and a bit of extra cream in her tea.

Blake's fingers had healed a few weeks ago, but she still needed to wrap several napkins around her cup before she could pick it up.

Once she'd paid, Velvet whispered another "good luck" to her, and Blake nodded. She'd do her best.

Ruby kept the handles of her bag around her wrist as she picked up her tray, and together they made for their table.

As they sat down, Ruby started up the conversation about a new book release by one of Blake's favorite authors.

Blake was reminded of the fact that she did much better in conversations when she didn't have a hidden agenda nagging at the back of her mind. If all she had to to was talk and not think about anything, she was fine around Ruby.

But now the prospect of trying to confess was starting to gnaw at her stomach. She sipped at her tea so she didn't have to speak as Ruby went off about the author.

"Did you know? His new book actually already got released! But all the copies are checked out because there was such a big hype for it," she declared around a mouthful of muffin.

Blake's ears perked up a little.

"R-Really? I wish I'd been on top of things. I would've loved to get one sooner, but I guess I'll wait until someone returns their copy."

Here, Ruby smirked and wiped her hands thoroughly on her napkin. Once she was certain her fingers were void of crumbs, she bent down to the bag on the floor at her feet.

"Well~" she said. "Lucky for you that you've got someone on the _inside_ , Blake." Ruby winked as she said this and her fingers found purchase on the object within her bag. She straightened up to reveal a copy of the book in question, and her lips spread into a huge grin as she presented it to Blake.

The Faunus girl thanked the universe that she hadn't been holding her tea cup at the minute, because if she had been, she knew she would've spilt it.

"Ruby-!" she gasped, covering her mouth. "You-You really-? Oh gosh..."

"Heehee~ I told you I could get you some librarian-privileged benefits, right? Take it! It's all yours, Blake!"

Touched, Blake accepted the book with great care, gripping it with both hands as Ruby transferred it to her. The Faunus girl looked the cover over, her eyes wide in awe. She flipped through a few of the pages and breathed in the scent of the story.

Ruby was simply beaming as she watched Blake while munching on her cookie.

"I made sure to save a copy! I'm glad you like it!"

Blake placed the book into her own bag, fitting it in neatly next to her other tomes.

"I'll check it out before I leave today. Thank you so much, Ruby. No one's... ever really gone out of their way for me so much before. Really... thank you."

"It's okay! My pleasure! So tell me your theories of what you think's gonna happen in this volume."

"Well..."

Blake got comfortable in speaking once again as she temporarily pushed all thoughts of confessing to the back of her mind. Instead, she chatted with Ruby as always, though they were each a bit more excited now.

They sipped through their milkshake and tea respectively, talking the hour away.

It was only when Ruby's wrist watch went off at it's 5-minute warning when Blake realized she'd yet to say what she needed to. She was a little surer now than ever that Ruby liked her back. Why else would she have saved this new book for Blake alone?

She was becoming very hopeful, and even a little confident.

Once they'd gone up to the counter to return the tray and tea cup, and tossed out all their garbage, Blake and Ruby returned to their table to grab their things.

Ruby squished up her now-empty plastic baggie and tucked it under her arm, declaring she could use it to empty some trash bins around the building.

Blake was struggling to get her words out before they needed to leave one another for today.

"Ruby-" she said hastily. "I just... I wanted to say thanks again for the book. It made me... really happy."

"And that makes _me_ happy!" Ruby cheered. She cast Blake a look of innocent inquiry, one Blake recognized as the question of permission for a hug.

The Faunus girl smiled despite her nervousness and opened her arms again.

Ruby wrapped her arms around Blake's back and nuzzled into her collar, feeling as Blake laid her arms over her shoulders in return.

Blake felt it was now or never.

She took a deep breath to steel herself, trying not to think too hard about what she was about to do. When her voice tumbled out, it almost sounded too rushed, too loud.

"Ruby..."

Blake felt the girl try to step back, so she may look up and see Blake's face as she spoke. But Blake held her close, not wanting to let Ruby see her expression. She felt she was about to cry again with how stressed she was about all this.

"Blake?" Ruby could only look over the Faunus girl's shoulder and hold her a little tighter. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she murmured. "I just.. wanted to say thanks..." _You already did that!_ she reminded herself. _Just get on with the rest!_ "A-And also, I just wanted to... to tell you something..." She tapered off, and Ruby waited patiently.

"Sure. Anything, Blake. I'm listening."

Another moment ticked by, and Blake thanked the fact that they were tucked behind a corner of the cafe, out of sight of other patrons. She inhaled again and swallowed.

"I just... I really... really like..."

As she spoke, Ruby froze.

Was Blake... really going to say this? Was it really happening?

Ruby bit her lip and waited, her heart thrumming with excitement against Blake's heightened pulse.

But as Ruby went still from the anticipation of hearing Blake's words, Blake interpreted it as something else. To her, it felt as though Ruby got suddenly uncomfortable, as though she were dreading what Blake was going to reveal.

So she didn't do it. Blake choked back a whimper and fell back on her plan for Ruby's sake.

"I really... like the book you gave me."

And Ruby's posture went limp again.

To Blake, it was relief, interpreted as Ruby being glad the Faunus girl hadn't said what she didn't want to hear.

But for Ruby, it was crushing.

She'd thought Blake was going to confess, and-

-and she hadn't.

Maybe Blake didn't like her that way...

Ruby needed to fight the urge to cry. She bit her lip hard and took in a deep breath, squeezing Blake's back.

"I... I'm glad you like it," she mumbled. "I'll- I'm gonna go back to work now, okay? Have fun reading it."

Hastily, she pulled away, ducking her face and not letting Blake catch so much as a glimpse of her expression before Ruby had scurried away across the library and up the stairs.

Blake was left watching her in dismay. She knew she'd just made a huge mistake based on her own misinterpretation, but she was too flustered and scared to call Ruby back, let alone run after her.

Evidently, Velvet had seen what happened, for she hurried out from behind the counter and caught Blake in her arms just as she was consumed by bitter tears.

* * *

 **A/N: Just when things were looking up, they plummet back down ;w; That happens sometimes, doesn't it?**

 **If you like my work and would like access to chapters earlier than anyone else, please support me on P-a-t-r-e-o-n as Kiria Alice!**

 **Please review!**


	10. Advice And Crisis

**These two are in quite a bind. And as they say, things often get worse before they get better...**

 **If you like my work and would like access to chapters earlier than anyone else, please support me on P-a-t-r-e-o-n as Kiria Alice!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.**

* * *

Chapter 10. Advice And Crisis

After Blake had gone back on her confession, the happy, carefree days in the library turned upsetting for her.

She'd timidly go through her usual routine, now lacking the confidence she'd built up for herself since meeting Ruby.

She'd slip into the cafe first and foremost to spill her heart to Velvet and Coco, lamenting her decision and often ending up with more tears in her eyes.

Her friends would do their best to console her, and then Blake would limp over to her usual seat beneath the stairs and slouch into it. She'd try to read, but could never focus for more than a few minutes before she'd end up sighing and leaning her head back to let her negative thoughts consume her once again.

Likewise, after the incident, Ruby had become a little standoffish at home, and Yang had known right away that something had gone wrong between her sister and Blake.

She talked to Ruby the night after it happened, and the girl explained everything in vivid detail.

Yang knew that should have been a moment Ruby treasured and looked back on fondly. But now it was a source of pain and heartbreak for her.

When they went to the library the morning after that, Ruby had sluggishly gone through her work routine, without even a spark of her usual self showing. Her cheery tone when speaking to patrons was forced, and her smile was always plastered.

Weiss had quickly inferred things hadn't gone well with Blake, and Yang confirmed her fears.

They'd sit with Ruby in the mornings whenever she wasn't helping anyone, and do their best to comfort her, telling her that maybe Blake had just been too nervous to confess.

Ruby tried to see the truth in their words and look on the bright side, but more often than not she just ended up crying into her elbow. When that happened, Yang always pulled her into a hug so Ruby could hide her face.

Then, when 12:30 rolled around, Ruby and Blake would both cautiously head to the cafe.

The day after the incident had been the worst. They'd both put on the most convincing of smiles and spoken such kind, casual words to one another.

To anyone else, it would've seemed normal.

But to the people who knew and loved them, it was painful to see just how forced their emotions were.

For several days afterward, Ruby and Blake would still meet up in the cafe to discuss books and talk about their days.

But at the end of Ruby's lunch break, the two girls didn't hug anymore. Neither made an effort to try, always thinking the other wouldn't want to.

Their friends and sister feared that a lack of proper communication between the two of them would be their downfall.

Day by day, Ruby's and Blake's relationship crumbled a little more each time, and it soon became unbearable for their peers. They wanted the two girls to be happy more than anything.

Luckily, about a week after the incident, they got their chances to help.

Blake needed to go up to the second floor to use one of the computers to look something up. She'd left her cell phone at home and there was no other way.

So after a long time of steeling herself and putting on the happy mask, she made her way upstairs. Her goal was to get what she needed and to avoid Ruby if at all possible.

She looked around herself, then scurried over to the computer section to get a seat.

She didn't see Ruby at first, but as she typed away at her keyboard, Blake spotted a familiar figure not far away. She was wearing a red shirt again with black leggings and a skirt, very similar to the attire she'd worn the first day she'd spoken to Blake.

The Faunus girl kept her head down, ears flat so as not to be seen. She watched from the corner of her eye as Ruby scurried to the restroom area, but a line outside had her freezing. Ruby spun around and quickly dashed down the stairs instead to use the first floor bathroom.

Blake knew she'd have a few minutes to do her work without the pressure of encountering Ruby now, so she focused on her task.

She didn't notice when another familiar figure sat down beside her. It was Yang, the loudmouth who'd unintentionally initiated Blake's meeting with Ruby several weeks ago.

The blonde had never caused a ruckus again, likely due to her girlfriend's influence. Weiss was sitting a few seats away from them, looking concerned.

Blake stiffened as Yang made it clear she'd sat there solely to talk to her.

"Hey," she said softly.

Blake's heart started to pound particularly hard, and she flashed a quick, nervous glance to the girl.

"Um... hello." She hoped that would be the end of their conversation, but of course things weren't that simple. Blake had a feeling she knew where this was going, and she didn't want to go there. "Uh, s-sorry. I have to-"

"Hold on." Yang urged her. "Blake, please. Could you just hear me out?"

The Faunus girl was frozen in her seat, though she'd already braced herself to stand and hurry off. With a gulp, she turned herself slightly towards Yang, saying nothing. But her eyes said she was willing to listen.

Yang took a moment to choose her words.

"Ruby... really likes you," she said. "And I think... you might like her too, right? No, never mind, you don't have to answer that. But... I guess what I'm trying to say is... don't give up on her, okay? Whatever happened, it's not over. It doesn't have to be over. Just think on that, okay?"

Yang didn't linger, not wanting her presence to pressure Blake into a response. She stood up and headed off, and with a quick glance over at Blake, Weiss followed her.

The Faunus girl let out a breath she'd been holding ever since Yang had sat down. The encounter had only lasted twenty seconds or so, but Blake felt as though it had been as many hours.

But despite the nervousness that had been ailing her like a sickness, she'd at least gotten one beneficial piece of knowledge from it.

Ruby still liked her. As more than a friend.

Even after Blake had messed up so badly and hurt her.

She pressed a hand to her mouth to keep down the oncoming sobs, taking a minute to compose herself.

In the meantime, Ruby had just hurried out of the first-floor restroom, absentmindedly wiping her hands dry on a paper towel. She'd forgotten to throw it away inside, and the nearest trash can was in the cafe. Walking over, she deposited it and was about to head back upstairs when a small voice called out to her.

"Ruby!"

Looking up, she saw Velvet waving her over towards the counter. The library employee straightened herself to try and look professional, then went over to the Faunus girl.

"Hi, Velvet. Is something wrong? Did you guys run out of ice again?"

Velvet politely shook her head.

"No, nothing like that. I'd just wanted to have a word with you, if you can spare a moment."

Ruby glanced around quickly, as though she didn't want to be seen shirking her responsibilities while she was still on-duty. But Velvet knew she was really just looking out for a certain black-haired Faunus.

Once she was sure no one else was around, Ruby got as close to the counter as she could.

"Okay. What's up?"

Velvet leaned down and lowered her tone for Ruby's ears only.

"It's Blake," she began. "She might not've explicitly said as much to you, Ruby. But she's very upset over what happened, as I'm sure you can relate to."

Ruby winced simply at the mention of Blake's name, let alone the memories of the incident Velvet was referring to. She whimpered softly and nodded her head. Velvet went on quietly.

"I don't mean to pry into your business with her, but I feel I should just input something on Blake's behalf, because she's far too upset to do it herself. Just know that she never meant to hurt you, Ruby."

Velvet didn't want to overstep her boundaries. She already felt guilty in wiggling her way into their predicament, but she felt justified somehow in her actions in knowing she was vicariously speaking for Blake.

Ruby listened, letting out a long sigh.

"I know she didn't mean to..." she mumbled. "I'm just... I-I mean I know it's hard for her too, but I just-"

"Aw, Velvs, you made her cry!" Coco's playful voice cut in softly. Velvet jumped and instantly became flustered.

"N-No, I-I didn't mean to!"

"Don't sweat it, I'm only teasin'." Coco reassured her with a kiss to the cheek, then looked down at Ruby. Her cheerier tone softened suddenly, and she gave it her best effort to be empathetic. "Anyhow, I know it's difficult, Ruby. Believe me, it's just as difficult for Blake. You two can work things out, though. I know you can. Just take your time." She reached over the counter to pat the girl's shoulder, as though transferring a bit of strength to her.

Ruby felt it like a small jolt of lightning.

Coco's and Velvet's words seemed to empower her. On top of all the encouragement and support she'd received from Yang and Weiss over the past few days, she felt as though she'd snapped out of a trance.

Ruby wiped an arm across her face and sniffed, straightening her back and puffing out her chest.

"Yeah," she said. "Yeah. You guys are right. Yang and Weiss, too. I gotta make things right with Blake somehow. I don't wanna keep feeling sad all the time, and I don't want her to be sad either." She looked up at them both with a new smile on her lips, and a familiar sparkle forming in her eyes. "Thanks, guys. I'll do my best!"

Velvet teared up a little bit, touched by Ruby's determination. Coco gave a grin.

"Good luck!"

Ruby seemed to be re-energized by the pep talk, and she hurried off toward the stairs. She didn't look at the spot underneath the steps as she passed, so she didn't noticed that Blake wasn't there.

But it was almost her lunch break. Ruby would see her soon.

She just didn't know it would be sooner than she'd thought.

In her rush up the stairs, she ended up bumping right into none other than Blake herself at the very top.

With an "oof!" Ruby was pushed back a step, but she grabbed onto the railing and quickly righted herself. Blake was knocked to the ground with a grunt, her bag of books spilling out on the carpet. Ruby gasped and quickly reached down to offer her hand.

"Blake! I'm sorry! Are you okay?"

The Faunus girl pushed herself up and put a hand to her chest where Ruby had crashed into her. She peered up, freezing quickly as she realized who was looking down at her.

"Uh, yeah..."

Gathering her books, she placed them carefully back into her bag as an excuse not to take Ruby's hand. But when she'd finished, Ruby was still leaning down expectantly, almost determinedly.

Blake swallowed a little hard, but eventually reached up for her hand. Ruby gripped her fingers firmly and gave a slight tug to help her up. Blake wavered a bit, more from Ruby's presence than from the impact.

"Thank you..."

"You sure you're okay?"

"Yes. I'm fine." Blake forced herself to smile, but it quickly faded. "A-Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah I'm good!" Ruby chirped.

It was the first time since Blake's failed confession that Ruby had been back to her perky, peppy self. It made Blake feel a little better somehow. Maybe Ruby was getting over the pain now.

The brunette ended up holding onto Blake's hand a little longer than was necessary, but when she realized as much, she quickly let her go.

"Um..." Twirling her foot, Ruby scrambled for something to say. "Um... it's almost lunchtime. I'll see you in a few minutes, right?"

Blake took a deep breath, then nodded.

"Yes. I'll... see you soon."

Ruby nodded back, and her smile was genuine again.

"Okay!"

With hasty feet, Blake hurried back downstairs.

When she retreated to her chair to sit and get her bearings, she was distracted by a strange change in scenery. The lighting she'd grown so accustomed to in this spot had become odd somehow.

A glance at the window over her shoulder showed her it had started to rain outside, and she felt a shiver run through her just at the thought of it. She hadn't brought an umbrella today, and she didn't like the idea of walking home in the downpour. At least it was summertime, and the cold rain wouldn't be as bad to her sensitive skin as it might've been in any other season.

For a few minutes, she waited in her chair, until the clock on the wall told her the footsteps coming over the steps were Ruby's.

It was still difficult to try to be going back to the way things had been before, but with her happy smile back on her face, it was clear Ruby was doing her best with it.

Blake told herself she'd do the same.

She stood from her seat and flashed a tiny smile, picking up her brown handbag and following Ruby towards the cafe. Even if they couldn't be more than friends, at least they could go back to just being friends again.

Maybe that would be good enough for the both of them.

As they waited in line, they started to talk again, very softly, almost timidly.

After the cold shoulders and awkward silences they'd endured within the past few days, it was a little bit of a challenge to get back into their old routine. But gradually, they got there.

By the time they reached the counter and placed their orders, Blake was chuckling softly at one of Ruby's jokes, and Ruby had a wide grin on her face, glad she could elicit such a reaction from her friend once more.

Velvet and Coco were both pleased to see the two seemed to be mending their relationship; perhaps their little pep talks had worked.

What happened next was...

It was just an accident.

Velvet had placed Blake's tea cup on the counter, beside Ruby's tray. Once they'd paid and thanked the baristas, the two customers reached for their items.

As Ruby drew her tray away, it made the most minuscule of contact with the handle of Blake's tea cup.

Just enough to tip it over the edge of the counter towards her.

Blake's comfortable little laugh cut off instantly and transformed into a terrifying scream.

Blazing hot liquid spilled all down her front, splashing onto her upper arm, then over her chest and thighs. She howled as though she'd been shot, collapsing to her knees as the cup shattered beside her on the floor.

The entire library froze in horrified silence, the only sound for a few seconds being Blake's pained screams.

Appalled and almost disbelieving at what had just happened, Ruby let go of her tray and dropped to her knees.

"Blake? Blake!"

Velvet called out to her as well, but Blake couldn't hear anything but her own screams.

The searing tea had burned her all over, causing her to clutch at herself with a trembling ferocity she hardly had the strength for.

She was in so much pain.

She'd _never_ felt anything this awful before.

Physical, aching, _burning_ agony.

It was festering, boiling in her skin like liquid fire, making it feel as though she'd been branded with a red-hot iron. More heat was on her face from where her tears were falling, and she slumped against the counter, choking on her sobs.

Ruby did her best to told her up, but realized she needed to do something more. She jumped up and tore napkins from the dispenser as Velvet, Coco, Canela, and several other staff members rushed over to them, panicked and horrified.

Ruby knelt beside Blake and used the napkins to dab away at the excess tea seeping into her skin and clothing, thinking and acting as quickly as she could. The voices around her were heightening her own panic even more.

"What happened?"

"Blake?"

"The tea spilt-"

"She's burnt!"

Ruby tried to keep herself from crying as well as she continued pressing the napkins onto Blake's chest, then toss away the dirtied ones. Her voice rose up amongst the chorus of confused tones.

"S-Someone needs to call 9-1-1!" she cried. "Sh-She has a skin condition, she's burnt _really_ badly!"

That was all she said to the rest of them. Now she only focused on Blake.

The Faunus girl was hugging herself weakly, her body racked by sobs of sheer pain. Her chest was throbbing, her clothes heavy with wet heat, and her entire body was shaking violently.

Ruby continued drying the tea away, and not a minute later, Canela handed her a pack of ice. Ruby wrapped it in napkins before swiftly pressing it to Blake's chest where she'd suffered the worst of the burns.

But no matter what Ruby did for her, Blake just kept crying.

The minutes dragged on, and Ruby could only pull Blake close to her and hold the ice to her burns.

"I-I'm sorry, Blake-" she whimpered. "I-I'm so suh-sorry, this is all my fault..."

Blake's hard breathing soon began to lessen, her sobs cutting off suddenly.

Just as Ruby heard the screech of sirens outside, Blake lost consciousness in her arms.

* * *

 **A/N: We all knew that skin condition of Blake's would have to come into play sooner or later. But right when things were starting to improve again for hers and Ruby's delicate relationship? What will this do to them?**

 **If you like my work, you can support me on P-a-t-r-e-o-n as Kiria Alice!**

 **Please review!**


	11. Without Words

**As if poor Blake didn't have it rough enough already, now she's got painful emotional _and_ physical feelings to deal with. And Ruby's not much better off.**

 **If you like my work and would like access to chapters earlier than anyone else, please support me on P-a-t-r-e-o-n as Kiria Alice!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.**

* * *

Chapter 11. Without Words

When Blake came to, she thought she'd find herself in her room, surrounded by books, taking in the sight of the sunlight through the maroon curtains, breathing in the scent of old parchment...

But instead, everything was just... white.

Bleak.

A shudder ran through her, but she felt warm somehow, and she knew she was in bed, though it wasn't her own. Her ears flicked at the sounds of beeping, and she soon found herself in a situation she'd always seen on her father's television.

She was in the hospital.

She could feel the slight prick of the IV in her forearm, and she very much wanted to pull it out. She hated hearing her own heartbeat out loud. She wanted it to go back to being private, as it should've been.

But as soon as she tried to move, the beeping of the machine was joined by voices.

"Blake, honey?"

Blake shook her head from side to side on her pillow, taking a moment to open her eyes. Her mother and father were seated nearby, both wearing kind, though concerned expressions.

"M-Mom? Dad...? H-How long have I-?"

"About two hours, dear," her mother said softly. "You father and I got calls at work and we both rushed to get here. Do you remember what happened?"

With her ears drooping a little, her mother reached out and took Blake's hand.

Blake did her best to try and recall the events of two hours ago. It wasn't hard to remember that immense pain, the loudness of her own pitiful sobs, the contrasting softness of someone holding her as she'd blacked out...

"The tea..." she moaned. She turned scared golden eyes on her mother's pretty face, then to her father's broader one. "How bad...?"

It was her father who answered this time, in his deep, familiar voice.

"Thankfully, it wasn't anything serious," he said. "The doctors say the burns weren't too severe, so you'll heal completely within a few weeks."

"That's right," her mother added. "It's all thanks to whomever helped you. They said you might've gotten second or even third-degree burns if someone hadn't immediately wiped the tea off your skin and iced it for you."

Absently, Blake mumbled out the only name on her mind.

"Ruby..."

Her parents' ears perked up.

"Oh," her mother nodded. "Is that her name? The girl with the brown hair? She's been in the lobby for some time now. We tried to speak to her to thank her for helping you, but she didn't say anything. She was very upset. Would you like us to send her in to see you, Blake?"

Blake didn't need to think for longer than a second.

"Yes," she murmured. "Please."

Her mother nodded.

"I'm sure she'll be very relieved to see you're finally awake."

Her parents stayed a minute longer, reassuring Blake she was going to be fine. They told her the doctors had treated her and done all that needed to be done, and that she could be discharged whenever she felt well enough. Her parents would stay in the lobby until Blake felt she was ready to go home. They both leaned down to kiss her forehead.

"We'll be in the lobby," her father reminded her.

"Just send someone to let us know and we'll come get you," her mother added. "I'll send in that nice girl for you."

Blake nodded.

"Thank you."

Her parents exited the room, leaving Blake alone in silence once again, with nothing but the insistent beeping. She closed her eyes and tried to ignore it, but when she tried to shift in her bed, she felt an uncomfortable ache in her chest and thighs. She froze and lay still once more, trying to control her breathing.

It wasn't long before a shaky knock came on the door. When she focused her ears, she could hear little sobs on the other side. She instantly recognized them to be Ruby's, and two other soothing voices told her Yang and Weiss were there, too.

For fear of aggravating her healing burns, Blake made no effort to sit up on her own. Instead, her hand found a small remote on the side of the bed and she pressed a button to elevate the mattress a bit to help her straighten up.

"Come in."

The knob clicked, and the door opened slowly.

Ruby was standing there with a tissue pressed to her mouth. Blake could tell it was one of many. Her cheeks were puffy and red, and tears were still brimming in her eyes.

Blake knew that in the past two hours, the tears had been for fear, but now they were for relief.

Yang had a supportive hand on her sister's shoulder, and she gave her a small pat on the back.

"We'll wait out here," she said. Her lavender eyes flashed quickly over to Blake. Yang didn't say anything to her, but she smiled and nodded, silently telling her she was glad she was all right.

Yang stayed in the hallway as Ruby stepped in, and Weiss quickly fished out a small packet of tissues to hand to the brunette.

"You'll need them," she murmured, not unkindly.

Ruby thanked her and hugged Yang quickly before they closed the door to give her some privacy with her friend.

Blake knew Ruby was hurting just as badly as she was, though it was in a different sense, no doubt. So she offered a weak smile and, realizing there was no reason left for bashfulness anymore, Blake spoke first.

"Hi, Ruby."

It was as though simply hearing her speak had brought Ruby to tears all over again. She nodded as she managed to walk to Blake's bedside and sit in the chair closest to her.

"H-Hi..." she whimpered meekly, still hiding the lower half of her face behind the tissue. There was a small trash bin nearby, and after blowing her nose, Ruby tossed the tissue away, then hastily pulled out a small bottle of hand-sanitizer – another gift from Weiss – and rubbed her hands with it.

She tried to straighten up in her chair as she looked at Blake. "H-How... how are you f-feeling?" Her lip trembled with every word, and more tears threatened to fall.

Blake's heart went out to the girl, and she did her best to reassure her.

"I'm all right now," she said softly. "It's really thanks to you, Ruby."

Ruby made a choked, sobbing sound as she hid her face in both hands and shook her head.

"N-No, buh-but- it was my _fault_ -" she wailed. "I wa-was the one who knocked it over a-and it hurt you so bad-" Her voice tapered off and became more heavy sobs.

Blake realized that relief had only been a minor part of composing of Ruby's tears. She now understood that the main factor was guilt. She blamed herself for all of this, and Blake wasn't about to let her.

"Ruby, no," she murmured. "Ruby, look at me. Please?"

She waited a moment until the girl had composed herself enough to lift up her tear-stained face. Blake gave her a smile, a real one, like the ones she'd always given her before Blake herself had messed up with her confession.

For some reason, speaking to the girl came more easily now that Blake knew it was Ruby who needed comfort and support.

"Ruby, it's not your fault at all. It was just an accident. Things happen sometimes. You helped me when I couldn't help myself. You... you did everything you could, even though I know you must have been so scared - more scared than I was. And do you know what you did?"

Blake lifted her right arm, which wasn't hooked up to the IV. The hospital robe fell away down to her elbow, revealing the red skin of her burns. Ruby looked at the wounds and sobbed again, but Blake soothed her kindly.

"See this? If you hadn't done what you'd done for me, Ruby... this wouldn't ever go away. It would've scarred me for _the rest of my life_. But since you were there and you helped me, it'll heal in just a few weeks. And I _really_... can't thank you enough for that."

Blake reached her unwired hand out towards her. Ruby fumbled with the tissue packet, blew her nose again, tossed it away, then sanitized her hands before she carefully reached out. Her fingertips brushed lightly over Blake's upturned palm, tickling the sensitive nerves of her skin in a pleasant way.

Blake dared to curl her fingers up and around Ruby's and gave a gentle squeeze. Ruby whimpered again and returned the gesture, and though her hand was shaking, Blake stilled it gingerly.

Ruby soon reached out her other hand as well, and clasped Blake's with both of hers. She moved her chair as close to the bed as possible, until Blake felt the tears dripping down her forearm.

"S-S-So..." Ruby stammered. "Y-You're not, I-I mean you don't-" She let go with one of her hands to grab another tissue.

Blake's ears flicked a little, and she understood what the girl had been meaning to say.

"Of course I'm not mad, and I don't blame you. Don't be silly."

She squeezed Ruby's hand a little tighter to keep it from trembling.

Ruby repeated her usual process of blowing her nose, tossing away the tissue, then cleaning her hands before she finally found her voice again.

"Y-You're sure? Because I know I was the one who-"

"Saved me," Blake finished for her. "You saved me from being scarred for my entire life, Ruby. You iced the burns for me and had someone call for help. What happened was bad, but... if you hadn't done what you did, it would have been a _whole_ lot worse. _Especially_ for someone like me with this condition." She spoke calmly, doing her best to put her genuine appreciation into every word.

Perhaps it worked, because Ruby wiped her sleeve over her eyes and gave a tiny nod.

"Okay..." she mumbled. "I just... thought you were g-gonna be mad at me or something. I was just... I was so scared, Blake. You were crying so loudly and you were really, _really_ hurt and I just d-did whatever I could... I've never seen anything like that before... I was _so scared..._ " She lost herself to her tears once again, hunching forward to bury her face in her hands.

Blake couldn't bear to see her like this. With effort, she pushed herself up a bit more, leaning away from the angled mattress now to reach out and pull Ruby into her arms.

Ruby shifted her weight from the chair to the edge of Blake's bed, allowing the Faunus girl to lean back against the mattress again with Ruby curled up against her chest. Ruby sobbed there against her hospital robes, worried she was hurting Blake by making contact over her burns.

But Blake didn't let her worry for any longer.

It was hard to do when it had been so long, but she started to purr very softly. It was rumbly and gravelly, but unmistakably a sign of her happiness.

That was what allowed Ruby to forgive herself for the accident.

Slowly, and very very carefully, she wrapped her arms around her friend.

And despite all that had happened, Blake had truly never felt this happy before in her life. The pain and fear of the accident had all been washed away now, and Ruby's tears were of joy. Blake felt her own eyes stinging a bit more as well as she cradled the girl in her arms.

A month ago, she'd been too panicked to speak to Ruby without running away flustered. But over time, their friendship had brought them closer. Even when they'd almost drifted apart, neither of them had ever intended to let it stay that way.

Blake didn't let Ruby go for a long time. Her warmth was soothing against the prickling burns. Whenever Blake's purr got a little louder, Ruby would giggle until her tears had finally stopped.

Blake's heart soared, and she blushed in embarrassment when she realized Ruby could hear it very clearly now thanks to the monitor. She'd never been so close to someone else who wasn't directly related to her before. She'd hugged Ruby many times in the past weeks, but it had never been quite this intimate, this warm, this soft...

Blake sighed into the girl's shoulder and shed the last of her happy tears. All the painful silence and avoidance of one another had been wiped clean now.

Blake continued to purr and hold her, until Ruby shifted a bit and lifted her head. Blake lowered her purr to listen as the girl cleared her throat.

"Blake..." she began. Ruby sat back a little so she could look directly into Blake's eyes. "This... all of this made me realize... I've always liked you as my friend. I was always so excited to talk to you and text you and see you every day. It always made me so happy."

She paused for a minute, took a breath, then went on.

"But what happened today... it made me realize that I wouldn't ever be okay with you getting hurt. Ever. And I think that I... that I care for you as _more_ than just a friend..."

Another pause, then-

"I really, _really_ like you, Blake."

Blake heard for herself just how quickly her heart began to pound. It rose high up in her chest, beating harder than ever before.

Ruby had just-

She'd just...

And Blake had failed to do it so many times...

Even so, it still brought upon the same results, no matter which of them had confessed.

Blake needed a moment to register the words, blinking slowly and shaking her head to clear it. But she didn't want to keep Ruby waiting for a response in uncertainty for any longer.

Blake was too emotional to speak right away, so all she could manage to do was pull Ruby in again and sob over her shoulder. Ruby made a small, surprised sound, but nonetheless hugged her back.

"Blake...? A-Are you okay?"

Blake nodded vigorously, trying to remember how to speak. Her heart was a whirling mess in her chest, but it was a good feeling. It was _such_ a good feeling.

"Yes..." she whispered. "I'm... Ruby I've never been better. Honestly..."

And now that Ruby's feelings were already laid bare, Blake's words came easily.

"Honestly... I've liked you... for a long time. Since day one, actually. The first time you spoke to me and I ran out. Then you returned my book and I kept running away because I was so nervous. I liked you so much.

"And... when you started eating lunch with me? You can ask my parents. I'd never been happier. Until now..." A shaky sigh filled her lungs, and when she sniffled, her purr hitched a bit in her throat. "I like you too, Ruby. As more than just a friend. I... I always have."

She heard Ruby gasp softly, the hands on Blake's back clinging a little tighter.

"R...Really?" she mumbled into her chest.

Blake nodded.

"I'd... thought I was being too obvious all that time... I'm not good at hiding my emotions most of the time... But yes. I've always liked you, Ruby. In a lot of ways."

A moment passed between them, nothing more than Blake's pulse filling the room. Ruby ignored the monitor though and listened to the actual source of the sound, nestled warmly against Blake's chest. Then, she pulled away a little bit, her silver eyes shimmering with water as they met gold.

"Then... Blake?"

The Faunus girl swallowed, and she flicked an ear.

"Yes?"

Ruby fidgeted in her lap, a healthy pink blush rising into her cheeks.

"Would it be okay if... if I kissed you, then? I-I mean we don't have to if you'd rather not, I just-"

"Ruby..."

Blake didn't know where this newfound, reserved confidence was stemming from, but she believed Ruby had given her the strength to find it.

Blake leaned forward and bumped her lips to Ruby's cheek ever so softly.

Ruby went stiff in her arms for a brief second, then made a small, happy squeal. She quickly darted in to kiss Blake's cheek in return.

Blake felt the warm, plump lips against her cool skin, radiating a pleasant heat that had previously been kindled within their hearts.

They both got nervous, then both realized the other was just as nervous as she herself was.

Then, they both got to chuckle softly when the reality began to settle in.

After all these weeks, it was really happening.

Both of them cried a little bit, purely out of joy this time.

Ruby peppered small kisses over Blake's cheeks and Blake kissed her eyelids and forehead. After a moment of giggling, Ruby pulled back a little and let Blake rest her back against the propped-up mattress. She looked over the bits of burnt skin that were visible to her with melancholy eyes.

First, she took Blake's injured hand and kissed the backs of her knuckles, then moved up to the underside of her wrist and inside her elbow. And then she hugged her again, holding a very gentle kiss to Blake's collar where the burn had been the worst.

Blake sighed and held her close, savoring this indescribable feeling.

She'd always felt her emotions very strongly, but this time it was different. It was still very strong, but it didn't overwhelm her like in the past. Ruby's presence and affection soothed her like nothing else she'd ever known.

When she could manage it, Blake kissed the girl's temple, pouring every ounce of gratitude into the contact.

Ruby moved back a moment later, and their eyes met again.

They didn't need words.

Like in the fairytales they both loved so dearly, their lips came together at last in a soft kiss.

And that moment began a new chapter for each of them.

* * *

 **A/N: Most of you know I'm a sucker for happy endings. But this isn't the end! There's a bit more to come!**

 **If you like my work and would like access to chapters earlier than anyone else, please support me on P-a-t-r-e-o-n as Kiria Alice!**

 **Please review!**


	12. The Day After

**Thanks for your patience as always! This is a very important time for Ruby and Blake!**

 **If you like my work, you can support me on P-a-t-r-e-o-n as Kiria Alice!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.**

* * *

Chapter 12. The Day After

After Ruby and Blake had stayed with one another for a while in the hospital room, the latter realized it might be best for her to call for her nurse soon and request a discharge.

She didn't want to stay there longer than she had to and end up wasting facilities and supplies that could've better benefitted other patients.

Therefore, once the elation of her kisses with Ruby had had the chance to sink in and curl warmly around her heart, she nuzzled the brunette softly and coaxed her back a little.

"Ruby..." she murmured. "Thank you for... for all of this. For everything. I never thought you'd-"

"I never thought you'd like me back!" Ruby squeaked. "I mean, you're just so pretty and cool and fun and you know so much about stories!"

"I could say the same about you," Blake chuckled.

It was strange now in knowing this hug and kiss would be their last, but it would only be for now. It was exciting to think about what might happen tomorrow when they saw each other at the library. Blake blushed at the thought.

 _Will I be able to kiss her in front of everyone...?_

She was usually a rather private person, but the idea of letting the world know that she and Ruby Rose were romantically involved now actually sounded rather appealing. She wanted to brag a little.

Presently, they shared one more kiss, soft lips bumping together as their noses brushed. Ruby sighed a little, and it was probably the happiest sound ever, aside from Blake's ecstatic pulse.

"So..." Ruby mumbled. "Are you... are you sure you're gonna be okay, Blake?" Her eyes flashed with guilt once more.

But Blake quickly doused her fears with another kiss.

"I'll be fine. There's a certain ointment that will help cure the burns. It's nothing serious, Ruby. I promise I'll be just fine."

"Okay..."

"I'll text you as soon as I get home tonight."

That seemed to make her feel better.

"Okay! Yeah, I'd like if you did that. I wanna make sure you get home safe!" Ruby hugged her one last time, then slipped off the bed. "Oh! I almost forgot, but I managed to grab your bag before Yang drove me here." Ruby turned back to the chair she'd pulled towards the bed and slipped Blake's familiar brown handbag off the back. She placed it in Blake's lap with a smile. "Now you can finish reading and stuff!"

Blake returned the smile affectionately.

"Thank you, Ruby."

"Yeah, no problem!" She started for the door, but quickly turned back to Blake. "Um, s-so I'll... see you tomorrow, right? B-But I mean you shouldn't force yourself if you're still hurt and stuff! Even if you can't make it to the library I'll text you!"

"It's alright, Ruby." Blake straightened her back a little. "Nothing can keep me away from the library. I haven't missed a day in over three years. I'm not going to miss a day now."

When Ruby's smile widened, it revealed her toothy grin.

"Right! How could I forget? You're the famous girl who's been at the library longer than most of the workers!" she laughed. "Okay then, I'll see you tomorrow, Blake! Feel better soon!"

"Thank you." Blake raised her hand in a small wave, and Ruby shyly reflected it.

But as soon as she was out the door, Ruby was all too eager to go skipping and bounding down the hallway, squealing and twirling and dancing.

Blake had _kissed_ her.

 _She'd_ kissed Blake.

They were-

"Ohmigoooosshh!" she squealed, spinning in a bouncy circle. "Ohmigosh ohmigosh ohmi _gooosh!_ "

"Whoa, slow down there, lil sis!" Yang's familiar voice sounded right behind her now, and a pair of arms thwarted Ruby's plans to dance around the entire hallway. Yang pulled her in for a hug, keeping her voice low. "Everything okay?"

Ruby wiggled around to face her sister, then threw her arms around Yang.

"Yaaang!" she cried softly. "Yang, she's fine! She's gonna be fine! They're just gonna give her some ointmenty stuff and she'll be all better!"

Weiss had been leaning back against the wall until now, but she'd clearly been roused from her reverie by Ruby's sudden appearance and energy.

"That's a relief," she murmured. "Hopefully the burns won't leave scars."

"Nope!" Ruby told her proudly. "They're not serious enough for that! She's gonna be 100% okay!"

Yang soon released Ruby from her hug, but not without a quick kiss to the head.

"That's great news! I'm so glad! And hey," she turned to Weiss and wrapped an arm around her shoulders to pull her close. "Ain't nothin' wrong with scars," she declared, pressing a light kiss to Weiss' left eye. Weiss smiled at the contact and murmured something into Yang's ear before kissing her cheek.

Once their little moment ended, Yang turned her lopsided grin back to her sister. "Sooo, what's got _you_ all jumpy and happy, Rubes? Spill the beans."

In contrast to the request, Ruby clammed up almost instantly.

"Um w-well ya'see..." Ruby's tone turned quiet, and she kicked her shoe in a little circle as she found sudden interest in the tiled flooring. "Blake and I, we... we um... kinda... kissed...?"

She might've heard a pin drop in the ensuing silence. Both Yang's and Weiss' jaws dropped for a long moment, and Ruby bit her lip, her cheeks already gaining color.

Weiss was the first to recover.

"Really, now? I must say that's very-"

" _Holy shit!_ "

Naturally, Yang's enthusiastic response cut of her girlfriend. She lunged forward and locked her arms around Ruby, picking her up off the ground and spinning her around three times.

"Oh my god! Ruby, you did it! You got the girl!" She nuzzled her sister's hair, then placed her back down. "Well, guess I shouldn't've expected anything less from the lil' sister of the _master_ ~"

Weiss rolled her eyes.

"Sorry, who's a 'master', now? Yang, you've only dated one person."

"Yup, and I'm _still_ datin' her!"

"For _now_..." Weiss joked.

Ruby's face was overheating by now, and she wiggled away from Yang.

"Okay, okay! But don't tease me! And Yang, don't tell Mom and Dad! I'll do it myself, okay?"

"You got it, Rubes!" Yang gave her an affectionate slap on the back that sent her stumbling. "Ahh, just imagine; none of this ever woulda happened unless I'd been shouting 'pickles' at the top of my lungs that day."

"I'm sure it still would've happened," Weiss disagreed. "Only they would've met under much calmer, less-stressful circumstances, and therefore they might have been successful sooner."

"Aw, c'mon Weiss, lemme take credit for this, huh?"

"You'll do no such thing," Weiss chided. "All of the credit goes to Ruby. She's always done her best to support Blake and be her friend, and she discovered through her own power that Blake likes her, too." Weiss turned a smile upon the blushing brunette. "Congratulations, Ruby. I'm glad you can finally have the kind of relationship with her that you've been longing for."

Ruby covered her face with her hands and nodded.

"Th-Thanks, Weiss... um... can we just... maybe stop talking about it for now...? I'm still kinda-"

"Awww, my lil' sis is embarrassed~" Yang slung an arm around her and ruffled her hair. Ruby swiped at her and tried to paw her away.

"Yaaaang!"

As the sisters squabbled, Weiss took the liberty upon herself to hold their hands and lead them back to the lobby. She called her father so Ruby and Yang could be driven back home, as it was now getting dark outside.

For Blake, as she waited in her hospital room for her nurses to come, she read through the book Ruby had specially gotten for her. She still marked her pages with the same bookmark, the one of a black cat whose ears peeked above the pages. Ruby had complimented it a while back, and Blake always got a fuzzy feeling in her chest when looking at it.

Once a bit of time had passed, her parents came back into her room with a few nurses and a doctor. He prescribed Blake's ointment and instructed her on how often to use it and how much to use. After that, they removed her IV drip and let her go home.

Blake's parents were sure to support her as she walked, as her legs still ached from the burns on her thighs, but it was nothing too serious.

Once they arrived home, they ate supper together before heading off to their rooms. Blake showered with cool water, and once she was dry enough, she applied the ointment to her skin. The worst of the burns were on her collar where the tea had first made contact. She grimaced to look at the ugly red marks, but had to keep reminding herself they wouldn't be permanent, thanks to Ruby.

Once she'd finished, she slipped into her sleep clothes and quite literally collapsed onto her bed to curl up. But she remembered to reach for her phone and text Ruby to let her know she'd gotten home.

Ruby informed her that she was cozily in bed as well.

They promised to see one another again tomorrow.

And that was the first night they went to sleep after having kissed their crushes.

* * *

Blake's mother drove her to the library the next morning, simply so Blake wouldn't have to risk the soreness of walking.

Blake leaned over to kiss her mother before exiting the car and thanking her.

As soon as she stepped foot into the library, Blake wanted to hurry over to the stairs and go to the second floor. But in her hazy excitement to see Ruby again, she'd neglected to remember someone else.

"Blake!"

The familiar voice cried out her name the instant she walked in. Blake turned to see Velvet scrambling her way from behind the cafe's counter to hurry across the way. She was almost crying as she reached Blake, throwing her arms around her tightly.

"Blake, oh my goodness! Are you alright? What happened yesterday? Oh, I'm so glad you're here today, I was worried sick!"

Blake's ears drooped a little bit as a wave of guilt surged over her. In all her happiness yesterday while focusing on Ruby, she now realized she'd entirely forgotten to contact Velvet about her condition. She couldn't imagine the fear of seeing one of her friends get hurt and then not hearing from them for an entire night.

Blake returned Velvet's desperate hug lightly and apologized.

"I'm sorry, Velvet. A lot happened yesterday and I just... I didn't even think to message you. I thought someone would've told you."

"That might've been nice," Coco commented. She joined them after leaving the customers to Canela. Coco also seemed relieved to see Blake was well, but she lowered her sunglasses a bit in disapproval. "Poor Velvs was crying all evening. She didn't know how badly you were hurt."

Blake felt a pang go through her chest. How could she have been so stupid? Velvet had been her friend for years now.

"Velvet, I'm so sorry." She felt tears coming on, guilty to have neglected to tell her anything, but also grateful to have such a wonderful friend in the first place.

Velvet shook her head, her tall, soft ears, brushing against Blake's cheeks.

"No... don't apologize, Blake. It's alright. I'm just... I'm just so _happy_ you're okay. I was so scared yesterday when that happened, I just- I didn't know what to do. You were crying so much... It was partially my fault. I should've been more careful with where I'd put the cup-"

"It wasn't anyone's fault," Blake cut her off gently. "It was just an accident, Velvet."

Coco nodded in agreement and put a hand on both of the Faunus girls' backs, pulling them into a brief embrace.

"It's alright now," she said. "Everyone's okay, so no one has to be crying anymore, okay?"

Velvet nodded.

"You're right. It's all over now." She squeezed Blake one last time before taking a step back, wiping her eyes. "Oh gosh, I'm just so relieved."

"Thank you," Blake murmured. "Both of you, and Canela and everyone else, too. It's nice to know there were people who worried about me."

"Of-"

"'Course we did!" Coco interrupted her girlfriend. "Blake, we love you like a sister, y'know that?" She pulled Blake in for a partial embrace, then lowered her voice a bit. "Just be sure to call if you ever need anything, 'kay? We'll be sure to do the same."

Blake nodded gratefully and returned Coco's hug.

"I will. Thanks, you guys. Really."

She dipped her head to them, promising to see them later at lunch time. Blake watched them head back to the cafe for their shifts. There was a relief and brightness about them both she knew hadn't been present until they'd seen her safe and sound. Blake sent out silent gratitude to them both before continuing on her way.

She spoke briefly to the woman with the deer ears behind the main desk, who was the head of the library. Blake assured her she was alright and was appalled at the notion of potentially pressing charges.

"Never," she said firmly. "And besides... what happened yesterday... actually led to some good things."

With that, she turned away with a smile and headed for the stairs.

As soon as she'd bested the top step, she didn't have to wait longer than a second before a familiar flash of red caught her eye.

"Blaaaake!" Ruby whizzed past her, grabbed her wrists, and then proceeded to twirl her around a few times before squeezing her into a tight hug. "Good morniiiing! I'm so happy to see yoooouu! How are you feeling? Oh-!" She quickly let go of her and stepped back fretfully. "S-Sorry! Do your burns still hurt?"

"It's alright," Blake smiled. "It's alright, Ruby." She opened her arms invitingly, and again Ruby threw herself forward into them.

"Ahhh I'm so glaaaad~"

Blake dipped her head and kissed the girl's cheek.

"Good morning," she returned. "Let's try to keep our voices down, right? Don't wanna end up like your sister screaming 'pickles'."

Ruby snorted.

"Yeah, definitely not."

After that, they conversed in softer tones.

"Did you sleep well last night?" Blake wondered.

"Yeah! Well, actually it was a little tough, just because..." Ruby paused to blush again. "Well... cuz I was thinking about you a lot. About what we said and did and stuff..."

Heat swirled in Blake's cheeks as well; she could relate.

"Yeah. It was the same for me... but it was kinda nice."

Ruby understood.

"Yeah! Cuz I just kept thinking about today and what I'd do when I saw you and..." She sighed happily, then blinked innocently up at Blake with those pretty silver eyes. "Blake? Can we... y'know...?"

Blake remembered her agenda for today as well, how she planned to boast her relationship to the world, something she never thought she'd be able to do for lack of confidence and, well, a relationship.

But Ruby had made her stronger in the smallest, most important of ways.

Blake had built up her self-esteem and her confidence since being with her, and she'd battle the nervousness with surety.

She nodded, ears twitching excitedly as she slipped her arms around Ruby's waist. Ruby looped her arms up around Blake's neck and moved close.

Though Blake was the one who had initiated the embrace, Ruby was the one who got the kiss underway. She giggled against Blake's lips before pressing in. Blake could taste a faint sugariness, probably from cereal, whereas Ruby could taste a bit of minty-ness from Blake's toothpaste.

Their kiss only lasted a few seconds before they each got too bashful and pulled away. Doing this in the privacy of a hospital room was one thing, but in a public place where one of them was technically supposed to be working...

"Yeesh," mumbled a familiar voice nearby. "Get a room, you two."

"Yang!" Weiss hissed, swatting her arm. As Ruby and Blake scrambled apart, blushing heavily, Weiss waved her hand dismissively at her own girlfriend. "Now, now, don't mind her. Please continue."

"U-Um, nah that's okay," Ruby mumbled. "Maybe later?" she asked.

Blake nodded instantly.

"Of course. How does lunch sound?"

Ruby gave a little bounce.

"Sounds perfect! Oooh, and lemme tell you!" Ruby caught herself getting loud again and quickly lowered her voice. "When I came in today, my boss said she was super proud of what I tried to do to help you yesterday, so she's giving me a promotion kinda thingy! I told her she didn't have to 'cuz like, I wanted to help you to make sure you were okay, not for a promotion, y'know?"

Blake nodded, encouraging her to go on. Ruby clapped her hands and did so.

"But she insisted 'cuz she said I've deserved it for a while now. So now I'm allowed to work both floors of the library _and_ my lunch break is an hour and a half long now! So I'll have more time to spend with yooou!" She jumped up and down and hugged Blake again.

A small purr rose up in the Faunus girl's throat.

"That's wonderful, Ruby. I can't wait to have more time with you."

"Me, toooo! Oh, but I should probably get going now. Looks like someone jammed the printer again."

"Alright." Blake let her go, but not before pressing one more shy kiss to her cheek. "I'll see you soon, then."

"Yup! At 12! Not 12:30 anymore!"

"Right. I'll see you at 12."

Ruby nodded, then jumped up to give Blake's lips one last quick kiss before she scurried off.

Blake headed back down the stairs and sat in her chair, then pulled out her book and started counting the minutes.

* * *

 **A/N: After many hectic and heartbreaking events, everyone's lives have finally fallen back into a calming state. Things are looking up at last!**

 **If you like my work, you can support me on P-a-t-r-e-o-n as Kiria Alice!**

 **Please review!**


	13. Newfound Courage

**Thank you all so much for your patience in awaiting the updates to this story! It's been a pleasure to write and share with you all!**

 **If you like my work, you can support me on P-a-t-r-e-o-n as Kiria Alice!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.**

* * *

Chapter 13. Newfound Courage

To say that Blake was impatient for noon to come around today was an understatement.

Usually, she'd be eager to get to have her time with Ruby, but _today_...

Today would be the first time when they'd do so as more than friends.

The word "girlfriends" still sounded so odd to her, and she could scarcely believe they had actually achieved that title. They'd gone from a nervous, flustered pair of book-loving, gabby friends to a jittery, excited pair of book-loving girlfriends.

It was a rather big leap from just having been friends only yesterday, and Blake knew it would take some getting used to. Going from strangers to acquaintances to friends had been delicate enough of a process; she'd done that before with people like Adam and Velvet.

But Blake had no idea how the transition from friends to girlfriends should go.

As she sat in her chair and flipped through the pages of her current book, Blake managed to concentrate for a while and enjoy her reading.

However, as per usual, when it neared Ruby's lunch hour, and now with that being half an hour earlier, she was looking up expectantly for that flash of red on the staircase.

Ruby was very timely about getting off her shift. Blake heard the thumps of her boots from above, and knew it was Ruby by the way she was skipping a few steps at a time in her excitement. She held onto the railing once she reached the ground-level and used it to help spin herself around to face Blake. Ruby all but skipped over to her, grinning so much Blake knew her cheeks must have ached. She herself could relate.

"Hi, Blake!" Ruby chirped, bouncing in place. "I'm here early~!"

"Hi. And yes, I can see that," she teased. Joking around lightheartedly had never been something Blake was good at in school. But as was true with many things ever since they'd gotten closer, with Ruby anything seemed possible and almost stress-free for Blake.

Ruby chuckled a little at her joke, and Blake felt a purr roll into her chest. "So," she said. "Would you like to head over to get lunch early?" Blake was about to close her book and start packing her things away, but to her surprise, Ruby shook her head.

"Nah, not yet. I've got another idea in mind!"

Blake tilted her head and flicked an ear curiously.

"Do tell."

"Well~" Ruby hummed. "I was thinking... if you'd want, maybe we could... read together for a little while?"

Blake blinked in surprise, delight curling through her stomach like a warm sip of tea.

"Of course. That sounds very nice. Where would you like to go?" She looked around the ground-level area in search of a vacant couch for them to sit at.

But Ruby pointedly stepped in front of her to block her view.

"That's okay! We don't have to go anywhere, Blake! How about we just stay right here?"

"Really?" But as she looked down at her usual armchair and realized just how much extra space there was, she could see the merit in Ruby's request. "Well, sure. I guess that could work."

"U-Unless it's too close and you'd be uncomfortable!" Ruby put in quickly. "If it'd be better, we could find a couch-"

"No, it's alright with me," Blake assured her quietly.

Yesterday evening in the hospital had been Blake's first time ever being so close to someone for such an extended period of time. She'd hugged her parents and Adam and Velvet closely before, but she'd never held someone like she'd held Ruby, with a fond tenderness, a different kind of love.

And she'd never held on for so _long_ , either.

Blake remembered just how much she'd enjoyed it, and something told her Ruby could, too.

And since their little spot was hidden by the staircase and a few bookshelves, it would be difficult for onlookers to see them. They'd have plenty of privacy.

Blake could see the eager little spark in Ruby's eyes, and she felt it flicker in her own stomach as well.

Blake moved aside a little to make some space for Ruby. The brunette squished herself into the spot between Blake and the arm of the love-seat and wiggled her hips.

"Mmnn... It's a little squished, but this could work!" She leaned sideways towards Blake and rested her chin on the Faunus girl's shoulder. "Sooo, what'cha readin'?"

"I was reading the one you got for me, but I'm halfway into that one now. How about we start a new one together?"

"Sounds great!"

Blake pawed through her handbag before she extracted another fairytale collection book. Ruby got excited instantly when she saw what the selection was. She huddled close to Blake and peered over her arm, trying to get comfortable.

Blake opened the front page and held it open so the both of them could read. She kept flashing her eyes sideways to ensure the eager girl had finished the page before Blake flipped it.

But after only a few minutes, Blake's side was starting to get a little numb, and she imagined the same was true for Ruby. So she made a daring move to slip her arm around the brunette's back, eliminating a bit of the excess space between them.

Ruby didn't protest, but rather she gave a happy squeak of a sound and cuddled up right away, resting her head on the front of Blake's shoulder. She hugged Blake's stomach lightly as they read, and it wasn't long before a gentle purr started filling her ears.

It took them a few minutes, but they built up a pattern of sorts. It seemed they both read at about the same pace, so Blake always turned the page at the perfect time.

She found it funny how they would both subtly tense up and cling to one another at a particularly suspenseful part, and how they'd sigh in relief when it was over.

After about ten minutes, they'd finished one fairytale and both took a break to rub their eyes.

"Did you like it?" Blake wondered.

"Yeah, a lot!" Ruby nodded, bouncing a little. "I'm glad she didn't stab the prince at the end! But I'm kinda sad she died..."

"But she's got a new journey to set off on now, right?" Blake reasoned. "She can go around as a spirit helping children."

"Yeah, you're right!"

With a sigh, Ruby leaned into Blake for a moment. They'd shifted about in their reading so that she was essentially sitting in the Faunus girl's lap now, but neither seemed to mind.

Ruby turned herself a little sideways and kissed Blake's cheek sweetly, then ducked her head down to her chest. Ruby listened to Blake's happy purr, and just beneath it, her heartbeat was thumping quietly.

Blake rested her chin gently upon the girl's head and hugged her softly.

For a moment, they were both just silent, breathing in each other's scents along with the scents of books and coffee. Ruby hummed to herself and cuddled ever closer.

"Mmm, Blake... you're so warm..."

"I could say the same."

Blake loved this. She simply loved it. Now she was in her favorite place, doing her favorite thing, with her favorite person. She couldn't ever ask for more.

Her heart was soaring, and she knew Ruby could hear it, her purr louder than it'd ever been before. She almost worried she was being _too_ loud and might disturb some other patrons, but no such thing ever happened.

Blake closed her eyes for a few moments and enjoyed Ruby's company, feeling her soft hair against her cheeks, her ginger, loose embrace.

Ruby was still being careful about Blake's burns, and she was grateful for that. Blake longed for the day when she'd be able to hug Ruby as tightly as possible once they'd healed completely.

It was something else to look forward to, just one of many, many things.

Before long, Blake noticed Ruby had grown silent, and when she looked down, the girl was undoubtedly asleep in her lap. Using Blake's chest as her pillow, Ruby snored softly, innocently, with an adorable blush on her cheeks.

Blake couldn't help but kiss the side of her face and cradle her closer.

She held Ruby securely with one arm, and grasped her book in the opposite hand to read for a while longer. Blake knew this was as close to paradise as she'd ever get.

When it was almost 12:30, she closed her book and decided it was almost time to wake Ruby for their lunch.

But... perhaps not just yet.

Blake placed her book on the small wooden table next to her, then focused her full attention on the sleeping girl in her arms.

A sudden swell of emotion took hold of Blake. It stung a little, but for the most part it was warm and gentle, like a small, lapping wave. She whispered to her softly, and caressed Ruby's hair as she did so.

"Thank you so much for finding me all those weeks ago," she murmured. "For holding onto my book for me. For talking to me. You made me more confident in myself, and I never thought that could happen.

"Thank you for not getting... annoyed or exasperated with my weird habits. I know I get emotional and it's not normal sometimes, a-and I know I'm reclusive and moody and aloof and anti-social... But you never ridiculed me for any of those things. You never made fun of me."

She paused for a moment to fend off a few tears, refusing to let her affectionate smile turn into a frown. She inhaled deeply to get control of herself; she didn't want to be crying when Ruby woke up. Blake tucked her face into Ruby's hair and went on in a low whisper.

"Thank you for talking to me about the things no one else in my life ever really understood. The days I had with you were some of the best of my life. Thank you for eating lunch with me every day, and for being my friend. For teaching me that... sometimes even good things can be difficult, but... you can get through them. Thank you for treating me so kindly. Thank you for caring."

The words just kept spilling out. Blake couldn't help but hug her, threading her fingers through Ruby's hair and kissing her temple. The girl was still in her arms, presumably still asleep.

But a little moan on her part was soon followed by a yawn.

Blake straightened her posture, letting Ruby move and wake up however was the most comfortable for her. Blake didn't speak, and part of her mind had to wonder if Ruby had been conscious to hear any of her little speech.

But if she had, Ruby showed no signs of it in her tired expression as she wiped her eyes.

Blake knew she'd need some time before she'd be able to tell Ruby all of those things directly, but now she knew she could go at her own pace with these things. Ruby would always be there to listen.

As the brunette let out another yawn, she stretched her legs slightly and pulled herself away from Blake a little.

"Mmn... Blake? I fell asleep... cuz you were so nice and warm, heh."

Blake smiled.

"Yes. But it's still your lunch break, so you won't get in trouble. But now that you're awake, why don't we get something to eat?"

Ruby's growling stomach answered for her, and both girls laughed.

"Sounds good to me!" Ruby beamed.

She slid herself off Blake's lap and stretched her arms and legs a bit, then helped the Faunus girl up as well. As Blake shook the numbness away and gathered her bag, she heard more footsteps coming down the stairs. Even Ruby was surprised to see Weiss and Yang down here, but the pair seemed to know exactly what they wanted.

"Heya!" Yang called over to them loudly – a little _too_ loudly – and Weiss jabbed her in the side with a hiss.

"Hush, you oaf! We're still in a library! They can see you!"

"Oh... yeah." As Yang rubbed her aching side, Weiss grabbed her by the arm and led her over to Ruby and Blake.

"Hi, Weiss!" Ruby greeted her. "What are you guys doing here?"

The white-haired girl lifted her chin importantly and smiled.

"Yang and I were just wondering if it'd be alright if we joined you two for lunch today." Her eyes went to Blake. "I'd like to get to know you a bit better, if that's alright. I've only ever heard things about you through other parties."

Blake flicked her ears and dipped her head to the girl.

"I'd... like to get to know you a bit better as well. You and Yang."

The blonde girl had already recovered from her girlfriend's jibe and put on her trademark grin.

"Awesome! This can be our first double-date!"

Even though Ruby and Blake had already more or less thought of their lunches together as "dates", hearing someone else say it made them both blush.

Yang laughed out loud, but quickly lowered her guffaw into a chuckle when she caught a glare from Weiss.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to laugh. You two are just so cute."

"Y-Yaaang!" Ruby whined and swatted at her, but her older sister put a hand on her forehead to keep her back.

"My lil' sis is all grown up~"

"Yang, shut it!"

As the two sisters squabbled, their girlfriends shared an amused glance with one another. Weiss put a hand on Blake's shoulder and offered a bit of advice.

"Just get used to this now," she advised. "It's a daily occurrence. Perhaps even hourly. Or minutely..."

Blake smiled comfortably.

"I think I'm already used to it."

The sisters squabbled for a moment longer until Weiss broke things up. She grabbed Yang's ear and pulled her away, scolding her.

"My goodness, you are _such_ a loudmouth!" she hissed.

She then proceeded to cut off Yang's defensive comment with a chiding kiss. Yang easily forgot her quarrel and kissed back.

Ruby snorted and leaned up to whisper something to Blake.

"Weiss is like a lion charmer. She knows just what to do with Yang."

Blake nodded, blushing faintly.

As the more experienced couple had their moment, Blake turned to Ruby and opened her arms. Her girlfriend took the cue and looped her arms around Blake's neck, and the taller of the two dipped herself down to kiss her. Ruby giggled, and it transferred a ticklish vibration onto Blake's lips, making her purr a bit choppy with a laugh of her own.

After a moment, the couples parted and were satisfied with the ensuing silence.

Weiss led the way towards the cafe, keeping a firm grip on Yang's hand. Yang swung their arms back and forth just for fun, and Weiss sighed heavily as her shoulder got looser and looser from its socket. Ruby clung to Blake's arm happily as they followed, but halfway to the cafe, she changed her mind and decided to hold onto Blake's hand as well.

As soon as the four of them got on line, they were greeted by another familiar pair.

"Well, well, well!" Coco said, pulling down her shades. "Look what we have here! Two pairs of lovebirds today, huh?"

"Coco, hush!" Velvet put a hand to her own girlfriend's mouth and gave her customers an apologetic smile. "Sorry about her. How are you all doing today!"

"Very well, thank y-"

"We're doing _awesome!_ " Yang declared, cutting off Weiss' polite greeting. Weiss flicked her nose and squeezed her hand a little too hard.

Blake and Ruby responded rather excitedly today.

"Hi, Velvet," Blake purred. "We're doing well."

" _Super_ well!" Ruby added.

"I'm so glad to hear that!" Velvet sang, finally releasing Coco. "What can I get for you all?"

Blake ordered her tea, a tuna sandwich, and even a blueberry muffin today. Ruby ordered her usual milkshake and treats, though Weiss insisted she also get a sandwich and a bit of fruit. Weiss herself ordered a fruit salad and some water, while Yang asked for a sub sandwich.

Once all of their orders were ready, the girls took them to a table as Velvet wished them well.

The quartet sat down together in their respective pairs on either side of the table.

Blake had never had a double-date before, but she wasn't even feeling the slightest bit anxious with these people.

She had to admit she never thought she'd like Yang after the first incident. But now that she'd gotten to know her a little better, Blake knew Ruby's sister was a very caring, supportive person, if not a bit wild sometimes. But Weiss canceled her out and kept her in line when it was necessary.

As their lunch date commenced, Blake learned that Weiss was a rather refined girl with a strict schedule to attend to. But Yang's presence allowed Weiss to take it easy and learn to be flexible. All in all, they were a very good match by any means.

As Blake sipped her tea and took a few bites of her sandwich, she listened to Ruby speak excitedly to them, mostly about her books. Though the others listened and were interested, Blake was the one who replied and connected with her the most with a few small comments.

She didn't think she'd be able to laugh in front of Weiss and Yang as easily as she did with Ruby alone. But before even ten minutes had passed, Blake found herself slouching back in her seat from laughing so loudly.

Yang would tell jokes – sometimes good, and sometimes horribly bad. If Blake didn't laugh from those, she'd laugh at Weiss' deadpanned reaction. If that didn't do the trick, simply the sound of Ruby's laughter never failed to make her smile.

Blake got easily comfortable with them, her piece of the puzzle slipping in and fitting rather perfectly.

She'd never known how simple it could be.

She'd never made an effort before – she'd never had a reason to.

But now she had _this_.

She had a newfound courage in herself.

She had all of _them_.

She had _Ruby_.

It had all started with Ruby.

They laughed and chatted the hour away, until Yang had crumpled up her last napkin, Weiss had finished her final piece of apple, Ruby had wiped the last cookie crumb from her lip, and Blake had taken her last sip of tea. It was her own girlfriend who let out a long sigh, knowing she'd have to get back to her job.

"Gotta get going soon," she said, smiling. "But I love my job~ It's the best job ever! Especially now that I can work _both_ floors and see all of you guys all the time~!" She gave Blake a gleeful hug and got a kiss in return.

"I'm glad you have this job," she murmured. "Or else I might not have met you."

Yang let out a small, touched cry of delight when she heard Blake say that, and even Weiss smiled.

Blake was a little bashful, but she didn't mind them anymore. She kissed Ruby's nose and purred for her.

But she couldn't help thinking ahead to the future, and that made her frown, releasing a heavy sigh.

Ruby sensed something had changed and she peered up curiously.

"Blake? What's the matter?"

Blake's ears drooped a little; she didn't want to be bringing the negative thoughts here. Not when they'd all been so happy until now.

But she'd already put one foot in her grave, and the other girls were looking at her for answers. She looked down at her empty tea cup and spoke softly.

"This is how it is during the summer... but what about when school starts again? I always managed to make it here in the past even with high school... but I'll be starting college this fall. I don't want to sacrifice the library or any of you guys for that..." She felt her heart sink just at the thought of it.

But Ruby was shaking her head vigorously.

"No, no, it's okay, Blake! We'll still have our phones and we can see each other on weekends and holidays and stuff! Promise!"

She felt a little better hearing that, but Blake was still miffed that things wouldn't be quite the same.

"That's true..."

The others could tell she was still downtrodden, so Yang cut in gently.

"If you don't mind my asking, where are you going to school, Blake?"

"...Vale University."

"Oh!"

"Perfect!"

Yang and Weiss both spoke together and smiled. Blake looked up at them curiously, and Weiss explained.

"You see, that's where-"

"Weiss and I are going!" Yang finished for her. "That's actually where we met! And it's not far at all~! We'll find you on campus every day we can and whenever we need to do work and stuff, we can all just come here! There's no dorms there, so that means we'll all be living at home still, anyway, right?"

"Yes," Weiss affirmed. "While we might not be able to have every day off to come here, Ruby will be in school during the day anyway. I'm sure we'll all have some evenings free to come here together, right?"

"Yeah, yeah!" Ruby added. "I'll just be working here part-time in the evenings, but I'll still be here every day, and on the weekends, too! So we'll still all get to see each other plenty! It'll be fun!"

Until now, Blake had been worried about starting college. She hadn't wanted to be an outcast there too, without friends to talk to or things to look forward to other than going home.

But with what Yang, Weiss, and Ruby had told her... things weren't seeming so bad.

In fact, they were looking up.

Her ears lifted, as did her spirits. Their promises made her chest feel warm again, and another purr slipped out.

"That... does sound rather fun."

The others smiled. Ruby hugged her again.

"There, now," Weiss said. "No need to fret."

"Yeah, don't think about school yet!" Yang told her. "We've still got a month of summer left!"

"Which means a whooole month left of lunch-dates and stuff!" Ruby exclaimed. "And on my days off maybe we can go to the movies or the zoo or something! There's so much we can doooo~! We gotta do everything!"

"Whoa, slow down there, Rubes," Yang laughed. "One day at a time."

Ruby sighed happily and snuggled up to Blake again.

At that time, Weiss roused Yang so they could throw out the garbage and take back the trays and cups, purposefully giving the new pair some time alone.

Blake enjoyed Weiss' and Yang's company, and she didn't think she'd mind having lunch with them every day.

But her favorite time would always be the half hour beforehand when she was alone with Ruby.

And times like now.

Ruby pulled her down gently for a kiss, and Blake pressed her hands to the girl's back to draw her in closer. Again, it ended in giggles and purrs.

When Ruby pulled away, Blake's ears caught sound of a small whisper from her.

"You're welcome~"

Blake wasn't quite sure she'd heard.

"Sorry, come again?"

"Nothing~" Ruby smiled, pecking her cheek. "Just happy to be here~"

Blake kissed the bridge of her nose.

"Me, too."

Together, they stood and walked back towards the library with Weiss and Yang.

As Blake looked around at them all, she smiled.

Yang was a prankster, but she was very supportive.

Weiss was a bit uptight, but very caring.

And Ruby...

Ruby was just perfect.

Three years ago, before this library existed, Blake never thought she'd ever be able to make friends.

And now...

Now she had a new family.

She couldn't wait to see all the things she'd get to experience with them all.

The old chapters of her book had come to an end. Now, she was beginning a new book, one she already liked much better. She had new confidence in herself, new friends to confide in, and new people to love.

Ruby spun around to face her and wished her a temporary goodbye, promising to see her again soon. She sealed that promise with another kiss.

Blake smiled, and kissed her back.

She couldn't wait to see what else was in store for her here, at the library.

* * *

 **A/N: After so many chapters spread out over so many months, that is a wrap, my friends! Thank you all so much for sticking with me till the end!**

 **If you like my work, you can support me on P-a-t-r-e-o-n as Kiria Alice!**

 **Please review!**


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